Comatose (Reboot)
by BlondieWrite
Summary: After a tragic incident, Black Rock Shooter has fallen into a coma, one with little chance she can wake from, but Rin, the person closest to her, refuses to give up hope. In the past they learned each others' stories, and soon came to better understand each other, growing closer by the day. Even though BRS is first held captive by the Order and falls comatose, Rin can't stay away.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is set after the 2012 Black Rock Shooter anime and season 1 of Ao No Exorcist and does not follow the manga's story. Having said that, please enjoy!**

* * *

Present Time: Rin

Three months, four days, and five hours. Black Rock shooter has been in a coma for three months, four days, and five hours. It's been over three months since I've been able to watch her smile, run my fingers through her silky smooth hair, hell, I haven't even been allowed to be by her side. Her porcelain skin and dark hair remained out of reach even though I can see her lying peacefully in the stark white hospital bed through a glass viewing window. An IV ran along her bandage covered arm to provide her with oxygen. The hospital claimed they were doing everything they could, but since she wasn't human, it was hard to keep track of her vitals as when they searched for a heartbeat they were unable to find one, yet she breathed as if she lived.

So the otherself was placed in a secluded ward underground that was used for exorcists in need of serious treatment, hooked up to multiple machines, and laid to rest. It made no sense to me. Black Rock Shooter healed faster than any demon I'd ever encountered and had always rebounded from what should have been fatal injuries. So why wouldn't she wake up?! Her scars had healed over in the first month and her breathing had returned to a normal pace quickly after. Yet here we are, three months, four days, and five hours later, and we still remain separated. I placed my hand and forehead against the window, whispering and mumbling to myself. Black Rock Shooter, an undefeatable soul, had been taken down… and it's all my fault.

* * *

Five Months Ago: Black Rock Shooter

The sky shone in the colors of the rainbow. The now combined worlds had created a white and dusty gray world, the only color being the sky. It was a change from the previous separated ones, but not one that I favored. The land was barren, and it was harder to track down those who had wronged the girl I fought for, so when the otherself known as Strength had approached me from behind, I was surprised. As far as I had known, Mato and Yuu had been doing well together, and no problems had been occurring for either one of them. "I know what you're doing, Shooter. I won't let you fight, Shooter" Her voice echoed through my mind. "Stop following me."

This had been a reoccurring exchange since the otherworld was reborn in what seemed to be a mere hour ago, though it was probably more extreme, be it a few minutes or a few days. I will continue to protect Mato, in every way I can, and fighting those who bring her pain is the best way I can think of. "Black Rock Shooter there is no need for this now- Stop. Give up on it, the world has changed-" The mechanically enhanced girl's voice slowly faded to silence. I didn't realize I had been tuning her out, but it was a nice change from her preaching.

I continued to walk along, feeling her presence following close behind. The silence was heavy, far too heavy. She was definitely behind me as I could spot her arms swinging in my peripheral vision, but she hadn't said a word. In fact, the footsteps that should have been almost echoing throughout the empty plane we walked upon. The uneasy feeling in my gut only worsened as my mind began to fade, and I stumbled to the ground, my hands instinctively reaching out to catch myself before I hit the solid ground. Strength came into vision as my body began to ache, the feeling of my body being peeled away layer by layer gnawing at my insides. I could see a mechanical arm reach for me before the pain overtook my mind, and all I saw was blue.

"QUICKLY RESTRAIN HER-"

"SHH- She's coming to-"

Multiple voices echoed around me, as bright light engulfed by vision, and the feeling of multiple hands reaching across my body slowly brought me back into the world of the waking. When my eyes had fully adjusted to the light I could sense four people around me, one behind, another on the left, someone on the right, and one woman standing in front of me. Instinct told me to fight, remove them all from the equation and escape from wherever I was now, but whatever held me down against a chair was far stronger than I had anticipated, and my body quickly wore out. With each struggle against the bonds they only seemed to get tighter.

Not a word was spoken. Caged, trapped, cornered, whatever word of your choice, the fact of the matter is that I had been restrained and the people around me were watching as if it was some kind of show. My struggling ceased, as the bonds against my wrists and chest was becoming unbearably tight. Time passed, though I wasn't keeping track, and eventually, the woman in front of me stepped forward. She had long reddish pink hair with yellow ends, and she left herself exposed without wearing a shirt. "Black Rock Shooter…?" She stared at me with her pink eyes and waited. After receiving no answer, she continued. "We've heard quite a bit about ya Black Rock Shooter. Causing yer human counterpart a lot more pain that what she deserved."

The silence began to settle once more before she spoke again. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Do you know where you are?"

"Do you know who we are?" The pregnant silence sat in the room, as she began to walk closer. "I assume ya don't. Why should ya? One minute yer hanging out in the otherworld and the next yer in a small room with a bunch of strangers. Allow me to be the one to edit the last phrase. My name is Kirigakure Shura. I'm an exorcist. Exorcists fight demons not quite unlike yourself." Demon? No, I am an otherself. Whatever these 'exorcists' wanted, they were obviously provided with false information. I fought to protect Mato. I fought to keep Mato safe. They weren't wrong to restrain me though, as I would have surely fought them all for 'kidnapping' me.

"Confused, I'm sure." The busty woman continued. "Demons are beasts from a world that mirrors this one, called Gehenna. Currently you are in Assiah. The Otherworld is a branch of Gehenna, sort of like a district. It's kept separate from the main sectors of nothingness that dreaded place consists of, but it's still a part of it. As a being created in the Otherworld you classify yourself as an otherself, yes? Well, you can call yourself what you want, you are a demon that is more closely related to the beings of Assiah."

"Ma…to…" The shifting of clothing and raising of weapons could be heard from all sides of me but the front. "Mmm I knew ya could talk. Yes, Mato. That's exactly who I was talking about. You did quite a number on her back in your world." By now I had refused to stare this _Shura_ in the eye. "Hmmm… She's here ya know. Mato that is." Struggling once again seemed like a viable option as I pulled at the restraints and let them continue to suffocate and bruise my body. With what strength I had I began to summon my rock cannon, hoping it could get me out of this mess. Sure enough, it started to take form. "Eh- Hey! Stop that-!" The circulation started to cut off from my legs and arms but it wouldn't stop me. I refused to hear their nonsense any longer. Unfortunately, my lack of hearing was not from determination, but rather a sharp shooting pain at the back of my neck. Once more, everything faded out, this time to black.

* * *

Five Months Ago: Third Person

"She's not cooperating?"

"Well what would you do if you were summoned to some new world and were restrained against your will?"

"Hm." Yukio and Shura hastily walked down the halls of the Vatican prisons, turning corners until they reached a heavily locked and sealed steel door. "She may still be recovering from that summoning but the True Cross isn't taking any risks. If she doesn't cooperate it's the end of the line for her." Yukio nodded at the woman who stood on his left, and broke the seal on the door, the locks slowly coming undone on their own. Carefully, the brunette removed one of his pistols from its holster, and raised it toward the opening door. Light slowly seeped in through the crack the door had made, illuminating the room. The otherself sat on her knees, gleaming blue eyes staring directly down the barrel of the gun pointed at her, fearless. "Black Rock Shooter," Yukio said, not once lowering his weapon, "You have been removed from the otherworld for the safety of Kuroi Mato, and you are currently being held at the main prison of the Order of the True Cross. You will listen and cooperate, or you will surely di-"

"Nah Yukio you can't just start off like that," Shura cut him off, pushing him aside and stepping into the cell. "Hey there, Shooter." The ponytailed exorcist said, kneeling down to match BRS' eye level. "Remember me?" Black Rock Shooter nodded. "Shu…ra…" "Yeah, that's me. Now I don't want to cause ya any alarm, but all that four eyes over there says is true. I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help. Listen, if you remain calm and cooperate, everything will be just fine, got it?" The otherself stared deep into the pink eyes of the woman sitting across from her, searching for deceit or a trap, but none were visible, or Shura was at least very good at keeping them hidden. Black Rock Shooter nodded, her gaze never leaving the one of that across from her. "Good," Shura said, standing with a long stretch. "That means this'll be real easy then."

The flame haired woman reached out her hand, which the otherself slowly accepted. Hands held, the two women walked out of the chamber to Yukio, who had slowly lowered his gun. Shura slowly turned Black Rock Shooter around and put her wrists together long enough for Yukio to handcuff them. Immediately, the twin tailed demon began to struggle and threw a disgruntled look in Shura's direction. "Shooter, you have to stay calm. I trust you believe me I do! But some people like four eyes are a little paranoid if you know what I'm saying. It's so everyone stays safe." With one last jolt, Black Rock Shooter shook her wrists before letting them slump naturally relaxed behind her back. Back through the hallways of the underground prison the trio traveled, before reaching a short set of stairs and a door. Yukio pulled a ring of keys from his coat, selected a key, and placed it in the key hole. Black Rock Shooter's fate was carried in this one moment.

* * *

Present Time: Rin

If I hadn't stepped into her life she might still be-

"Rin, it's time to go. We can come back tomorrow if you want." Yukio's voice interrupted my decline into volatile thoughts and ripped me back to reality. At least she was safe. There was nothing that could harm her down here, and when she does wake up, I'll be there waiting for her. Yeah, it's better to stay positive, right? Walking away from the window, I pat Yukio on the shoulder and continued walking toward the elevator to the surface, my brother following behind. With a few button presses we arrived at ground level, I gave a simple salute and good night to the lady at the front desk, and we were gone. A set of magic exorcist keys gets you around rather quickly, and in no time, we arrived back at the old boy's dormitory.

When we opened the door to our room a small furry cat wrapped his way around my leg and stretched out. "Hey Kuro," I said with a tired smile plastered on my face. _Any news on Rock yet, Rin? Is she going to wake up soon?_ My breath caught in my throat for a moment, before I smiled down at the demon feline. "Not yet but she'll wake up someday soon, I can feel it." Kuro looked up at me with one of his adorable smiles before scampering off to the bedroom, snuggling up on the crumpled blankets of an unmade bed. Throwing on a pair of pajamas and getting washed up led to collapsing on the bed next to Kuro. "I'm so tired…" _Don't worry, it'll be okay, Rin._ "Hm? What makes you say that Kuro?" The small black cat padded over to my face before placing a paw just below my eye on my cheek. _You were crying. It'll be okay Rin! She'll wake up soon!_ Placing a hand to my cheek I could feel the dried tears of my sorrowful moments in the hospital lingering, while fresh droplets began to run over them and take their place.

* * *

 **Thank you for checking out the reboot of my BRSxANE story, Comatose! Feedback on this rewrite is very much appreciated! I hope you look forward to the next chapter!**

 **~Blondie**


	2. Chapter 2

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

Everything felt foreign, even though it all looked exactly the same. The barren gray land and the sky of many colors looked just as they had since all the otherselves' worlds combined into one. So why does it all feel wrong? The sky is wrong, as is the ground… even I feel off. This isn't where I should be, yet it is exactly where I belong. This feeling had been lingering for a while now, possibly a few days in the human calendar.

"You're back…?" Whipping around to find the source of the voice as pair of orange eyes met mine. _Strength_. I clenched my teeth and stared at the mechanical armed girl, reaching my hand out to begin summoning my rock cannon. "How is this… possible? Yuu told me that you- You were in the human world…" The words resonated in my mind but they went unheard. Something was very wrong. My rock cannon, it was gone. No matter how hard I tried to muster the strength to summon it, the only result was failure. A second resort to summon my black blade ended with no better results. It was evident that the shorter otherself had taken notice of my struggle by now and was slowly approaching. Not like this… I wasn't finished protecting Mato… I have so much left to fight for! I refuse to die! The words shouted in my mind as one of Strength's ogre arms swiped at my figure, yet thankfully she missed. I could outrun her for sure, no matter how void of hiding places this world was.

While drifting in my thoughts, she swung at me again, and once again missed. It was pathetic in a sense, almost as if she wasn't even trying. She knew I couldn't defend myself and all she was going to do was toy with me?! "You- Aren't here… How is any of this possible?" Strength had lowered her arms and stepped back in what seemed to be disbelief. The word _RUN_ echoed in my mind as she stared off into the distance, but I didn't. Some unseen force stopped me from doing so. Staring down at my own hand, I had begun to piece together what Strength's concern was about. I was practically transparent. If you looked hard enough, you could see the rocky ground through my gloved hand. She was right… I wasn't completely there… That explained the inability to summon my weapons, and the odd feeling. There was no way I had died, Mato was free of conflicts and I hadn't come across anyone besides Strength since the worlds combined. I doubt that Strength had killed me, as it made no sense, but it was a possibility to keep in mind if no other explanations made themselves apparent. "You know what's going on, don't you?" I stared down at Yuu's otherself in confusion and anger. This seemed to snap her out of the trace that she had been under, blinking twice, she snapped her head back to face me. "No… Last I saw of you was when you said you were going to continue fighting and I followed you. Then you-" She cut herself off and looked to the side. "You don't remember do you?"

"Then I _what_ , Strength?" My patience was growing thin, but with neither of my weapons, I surely couldn't take her on. "You collapsed and were engulfed in a bright light. When it faded, you were gone. It was unlike anything I'd seen before, Shooter. My first thought was Mato had died and she took you with her, but further evidence proved that assumption to be wrong."

"So where was I?" Once again she hesitated with her answer. "The human world."

"With Mato?"

"No. Somewhere else. I'm not sure where."

None of this made sense. I clearly remember being in the otherworld but never leaving. There was no bright light that swept me off my feet to the human world, but what reason would Strength have to lie?

* * *

Five Months Ago: Third Person

"Ah, there the hard part's over now." A trial had come to a close with the Grigori mere moments ago. Black Rock Shooter was to prove her worth and that she could be kept under control to the Vatican within the week, but for now, she would live. The largest factor that lead to the Grigori's verdict was the effect Black Rock Shooter's death would have on Mato Kuroi. To be killed by the otherself of someone Mato had troubles with would void the experience from Mato altogether, but to have her otherself killed by a factor that had no role in her life while she experienced no worries caused the Order of the True Cross to worry for Miss Kuroi's safety. They were able to restrain many demons before, and had no trouble locking the otherself away for eternity, but thanks to Shura's 'sweet talking' about Black Rock Shooter's compliance, the option of having the demon girl join as a weapon in missions far too dangerous to send exorcists into without support appealed to the Grigori. The small detail that the otherself didn't know she was a form of demon may have also been a factor that played into her safety.

"Okay Shooter, now all you have to do is prove your worth, got it?" Yukio said whilst walking the otherself back to her cell with Shura. "We have orchestrated an attack on a demon infested forest that's quickly expanding towards a nearby school of great importance to the Order. We've already sent two groups to keep them all at bay until reinforcements arrive, but that's where you come in. Fight alongside the exorcists and prove yourself useful and you'll be allowed to work on missions. Fail to do so or turn against the True Cross…" He pushed his glasses further back onto the bridge of his nose. "And you will most likely die." Death didn't sound too good to the otherself, as death meant being unable to protect Mato, and the inability to protect her human counterpart sounded like failure, something she wasn't quite fond of. The trio once again reached the large steel door, and the otherself was put back inside the cell. "You'll be out in no time, Shooter. We'll see ya soon." Shura said before shutting the door, and placing a seal back on it.

Time passed slowly for the otherself, locked away in a completely dark room with nothing to do. Most of her time was spent staring into the darkness, watching for that door that kept her prisoner to open. No attempt of escape was made, no movement occurred. Black Rock Shooter spent her five days in the cell sitting on the floor, staring into the black. When the door finally opened, she expected Shura to be standing there as she seemed to be the otherself's only ally as of right now, but instead a strange man was in her place. He said no words, merely motioning for her to rise to her feet and follow him. She obeyed.

No exchange was made between the two, and soon they reached the door that had led to the 'court room' Black Rock Shooter was put on trial in. Just as Yukio had, the man removed a key ring from his jacket, and placed a key in the door. Slowly, he pulled it open, and pushed the otherself through the door, following behind her. This was certainly not where she had stood trial, as they were now in a small room full of people in Order of the True Cross garb."Ah, Black Rock Shooter, ya made it." A familiar voice came from the crowd, as Shura made her way through the group of people. "We put ya in our squad, come with me." The otherself nodded, following Shura back through the crowd. "Yer job is to keep the demons off us exorcists, and to help push through the forest to the source of the problem. Got it? We're advancing to the problem, and yer gonna make it happen a lot faster." She nodded in understanding. The otherself didn't take the time to learn the other exorcist's names, as all she needed to know was that they were on the same side as she was.

Time passed slowly as the groups prepared to advance, and when the time came, it was like an explosion. One by one the groups filed out from the room they were stationed in into the forest, Black Rock Shooter's squad the second to go. Summoning her rock cannon, Black Rock Shooter ran alongside yet slightly behind Shura. Shot after shot of her cannon, BRS threw back the demons as the teams began to enter the center of the forest. Shura had followed suit with her sword, Fang, her speed and accuracy far superior to the small demons that came for them. Gun fire rang through the forest as the teams reached the center, where a large mass of what seemed to be many small demons had joined together in a heap, the missing exorcist squads trapped at the base of it, unconscious.

The otherself began to rush in to attack when Shura grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "One misfire and ya could kill the humans in there too. Ya have sword, yeah? How good are ya with that?" The rock cannon dematerialized as BRS summoned the black blade in her other hand. "Alright. Wait for the command." Within the next few minutes, the three other groups joined up with the two that had already arrived. "Alright!" A voice rang out from the front of the crowd. The man that had escorted Black Rock Shooter out of her cell stood at the head of the groups. "Free the exorcists by separating it, then destroy it so it can't continue to spread!" Quickly after the command, the exorcists flooded in, shooting at the beast, chanting, and slicing right into the demon. It was extremely overwhelming for the otherself, as the noises encompassed her thoughts as she tried to hone in on her objective. When she would go to attack, another group would cut in front of her as if they had this planned out long before hand and she was never told.

It agitated her to no end until she found an opening, and rushed in, heading for an exorcist slowly sinking into the gelatinous beast. As if it was nothing, her sword cut through the demon, slicing off a chunk of its body as it scattered into the air in multiple pieces, attempting to regroup with the mound. Gun fire flew over her head as bullets of the dragoons took them out before they could once again join together. While other exorcists practically flew around her, Black Rock Shooter stared down at the human before her. It was a girl with short blonde hair, her eyes half lidded, and her breathing slow. Her head slowly turned to face her rescuer, staring up into Rock's cerulean eyes with her dazed green ones. "Th-Thank you…" She whispered, before her head fell to the side and she fell moments, exorcists came and carried her away, and Shura's voice rang out from before Black Rock Shooter. "Shooter! What are ya doing?! Get out of there!" The mass had slowly crept towards the otherself, beginning to engulf her feet. With one quick slice it retreated, and Black Rock Shooter jumped back away.

Exorcists continued to chant as the leader of the mission's voice rang out once again. "That should be everyone! Make sure it doesn't take anyone else, and get rid of it!" A cheer rang from the crowd as they all rushed in. A hand reached for the otherself's shoulder. "Shoot it. Now." Shura's voice provided the only permission she needed, as before the collective of exorcists could once again reach the demon, Black Rock Shooter had summoned her cannon, aimed, and shot the direct center of the beast. A halt was ordered as the exorcists stopped the advance and watched the demise of the creature. As if it was incinerated, it slowly fizzled out, strange screams emitting from the disintegrating mass before it had completely vanished, the small specks attempting to escape fizzing out in the air. It was done. A look of shock ran across the exorcist's faces, as Rock turned around to look at Shura. "I had no idea- That was a lot more powerful than I expected." She stared down at the otherself, her look of disbelief melting into a proud grin. "Good job, Shooter."

* * *

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

"I-I'll try to see if Yuu has any information, if I can get ahold of her… It's been harder and harder to get in contact with her since she and I switched back." Black Rock Shooter nodded. If she had gone away, that might explain why she felt so out of place in the Otherworld now. She had been away for too long, and she needed to re-adjust to the conditions of the world after she had gotten used to those of the human world… if she had actually left and went there. "Nothing… Hopefully that'll change soon." Black Rock Shooter was still staring at her transparent arm. "If my mind is here… and my body is in Assiah… then that would explain why I look like this…" Strength knitted her eyebrows. "Assiah?" Black Rock Shooter wasn't entirely sure of what she said either. It had kind of just… slipped out. "You said Yuu saw my body in the human world, yes?" Strength nodded. "Then Assiah must be the human world." That felt right. More than right, in fact. It clicked into place in her mind like piece of a puzzle that had no reference image as to what the end result should be. She didn't know how the piece would fit with others without any way of figuring out what was being created, but it was important to solving the mystery of what had happened to her. "I don't remember being to the human world though…"

"Something must have happened to you then. Something powerful enough to separate your memories from your mind."  
"Something powerful enough to cause my body to fall asleep. Otherselves don't need sleep." Strength nodded. It was strange, having the white haired girl as an ally of sorts, but if it was what help Black Rock Shooter could get, she would take it. Strength was incredibly powerful, and her knowledge of the human world… Assiah… could prove useful if that is indeed where this supposed magical bright light had taken her.


	3. Chapter 3

Present Time: Rin

When I woke up, the small head of my familiar laid next to and practically on top of my face. His sleepy little smile was made even sweeter by the soft sound of his purring. I don't remember what time I went to sleep, but I know it was well after he did. The alarm clock read 5:30 am, half an hour earlier than I typically woke. Usually I woke up at six, brushed my teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast, then left to visit Rock in the hospital until something came up or I was far too hungry for hospital cafeteria food when I forgot to make myself lunch.

Time doesn't pass as slowly as you think it would waiting in the hospital. In fact there seemed to be less and less time with every visit. A few of the nurses had taken pity on me and sometimes came and talked to me when they weren't busy or their shift was over. None of them held the key to getting through to the other side of the glass though. I thought of going back to sleep, but 30 minutes would do much, I could over sleep, or it would just take me 30 minutes to fall back asleep. In short, it wasn't worth it.

Carefully, I climbed out of bed, attempting to not disturb Kuro's slumber. Surprisingly, my attempt was successful, as when I looked back he was in the same position, possibly stretched out more into the area where I had previously been laying. I smiled and yawned, still a little tired, but I pushed onwards, quickly getting washed up and changed. Usually Yukio wakes up before me, but recently he's been sleeping in, thankfully. It is summer break after all. I opened the fridge and shut it almost immediately. As much as I enjoy a good meal and cooking, I'd much rather just heat something up real quick and leave. Toast sounded nice.

The hospital seemed just like any other from the outside, the same goes for when you head inside. A woman sitting at a reception desk, on the computer while holding a phone against her ear, some people sitting on chairs against the wall, waiting for one thing or another, and the color scheme of whites and soft blues all screamed "hospital". As I walked up to the front desk, the woman behind it smiled and waved, holding up a finger to tell me to hang on.

Within a few minutes, she had finished her call and smiled again at Rin. "You're early today, Mr. Okumura." I nodded. "I woke up early and couldn't fall back to sleep so… here I am." She smiled. "I already paged someone to come take you to her room, okay?" I nodded again, still slightly tired. It only took a few moments for the nurse to arrive. "Okumura? You're here early."  
"Heh, yeah. I hope that's okay?"  
"Perfectly fine." We walked towards the elevators, and called one. When one arrived, we walked inside but didn't press a button. Instead, the nurse removed a key from his pocket and inserted it into one of the keyholes you use to override the system. The elevator began to move down floor after floor, well past what was supposed to be the bottom floor, until it came to a stop.

Exiting the elevator, I was greeted with a small reception desk and sign that read "exorcist ward", a long brightly lit hallway just behind it. "Good morning, Rin." The woman sitting behind said, handing me a key. "Thank you." I replied. Speed walking down the hall, I reached room 23B, and stared through the door's small window into the room. She was still asleep. Inserting the key in the door unlocked it, and it slowly swung open.

I quietly walked in, trying not to wake her. It was ironic I was being so silent, as I would do anything to watch her eyelids flutter open and stare into her beautiful blue eyes. "Morning, Rock…" I whispered, placing a hand on the glass that separated us. "Still tired, huh? That's okay. I mean, otherselves never sleep so you must have a lot of catching up to do, yeah?" I quietly chuckled. These attempts of making the situation humorous were only making my emotions spiral downwards faster, but if there was any way that she could somehow hear me, I wanted to sound witty and funny, make her smile while she laid there, the only movement being the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed.

* * *

Five Months Ago: Third Person

"Black Rock Shooter." The Grigori called down to the otherself from their balcony. "We have come to a final conclusion on your fate in Assiah." BRS' eyes never once left the group, though Shura was standing at the back of the room with her fingers crossed behind her back. "You have proven yourself a worthy asset to the Order of the True Cross. Because of your abilities, the demon that had been haunting the forest outside of True Cross Academy has been destroyed, and no other exorcists were infected by it. You will be placed under strict watch of Upper First Class Exorcist, Shura Kirigakure. You will train to learn more about the Order of the True Cross so you do not overstep your boundaries. You will not attack any exorcists. You are a weapon of the True Cross now." The otherself nodded, as the Grigori dismissed her, watching as Shura collected the otherself and walked her out of the room.

Once the door had sealed behind them, a cheer rang out. "Nice going, Shooter! I had a feeling they'd let ya live, what'd I tell ya!" A wide grin ran across Shura's face as she rubbed the otherself's head. "Shura…?" She asked quietly. "Can I… see Mato?" The smile slowly sank. "Ah, I'm sorry but they sent her back already. She was only called in to report on you and to check her mental state after what she went through after you-… Well, ya know." Black Rock Shooter nodded. It made sense. After all, it might not have been a good idea to let her see her otherworld counterpart after what Rock had done. The sad part of the matter was that Black Rock Shooter did not regret her fight or what she had done while she had gone insane. It had helped Mato get stronger, and also showed the otherself what she was truly capable of.

"Ya can go see the people you helped rescue though if that makes up for it." BRS nodded, as a key was placed in the door they had just exited. The door opened to what seemed to be a hospital. The walls were stark white with a few colorful paintings hanging, and doors lined the hallway. The pair walked along, Shura keeping a close eye to the cards next to the doors. "Moriyama, Moriyama, Ah! Here she is." The door they stood before clicked open, and swung in. "Moriyama? You have a visitor." The blonde girl that Rock had rescued was sitting upright in the hospital bed, a soft smile gracing her face. "Ah! Th-Thank you for saving me." She said quietly. Black Rock Shooter nodded. "Shiemi, this is Black Rock Shooter." Shiemi mouthed the name silently, before turning her head back to face the blue-eyed girl with a slightly confused look on her face. "Kinda strange, yeah? She's not really from around here… Or anywhere near here actually. She's an otherself, from a mirror world. She fights to protect her human counterpart's emotions." Shiemi's eyes lit up, a small twinkle shinning in her eyes. "That's pretty amazing!"

Black Rock Shooter's face remained emotionless through the whole conversation. "Are you… feeling well?" She asked the green-eyed girl. "A-ah, yes much better than before, thank you." She smiled brightly. It was clear she wasn't doing as well as she should be, her movements all very slow and her skin incredibly pale. Yet her smile could almost make Rock believe she wasn't lying. It reminded her of Mato's smile, a light cutting through the darkness in some of the worst situations. "Ya have everything ya need?" Shiemi nodded and smiled. "Yes! Everyone here is very nice." Shura nodded. "Alright then. Shooter and I just wanted to check on ya, so take care Moriyama." Shiemi smiled and gave a small wave as the two left her room. "Ya did good, Shooter. Keep it up and ya could help a lot of people. But that's enough of that for today, let's head home, yeah?"

Black Rock Shooter nodded, turning to follow her back down the hallway, but was halted by a blur, a strong force to the front, and the feeling of the tile floor against her back. Something had shoved her over to the ground. "Ah! Sorry, sorry!" When she looked up towards the ceiling, hovering above her was a pair of blue eyes staring down at her. They were surrounded by navy blue locks of hair, and… pointed ears? "Are you okay?"

"Oi, Okumura! Watch where you're going next time. I'm actually surprised you don't have a huge cannon pointed at yer head right now."

"Huh? I was just coming to visit Shiemi! Everyone else was making a pretty fast recovery but I heard she's not doing too well. Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Rin, but how about the poor girl ya just knocked over, huh?" The boy's eyes turned back to face the fallen otherself. "I'm really sorry about… that… Your eyes… They're… different?" Black Rock Shooter stared up at him from the ground. She had thought of standing up, but she was far too focused on the human's strange features. His pointed canine teeth and ears really threw her off. Was this something humans had? His hand extended down slowly to the otherself, which she in return slowly accepted, pulling herself to her feet. "I'm Rin. Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention."

"Damn right ya weren't."

"Black… Rock… Shooter…" He stared at her, confused. "That's… my name. Black Rock Shooter." He smiled, still slightly confused. "That's quite the name… Can I call you Rock?" She nodded. "Miss Shooter here is an otherself. She came from a mirror world. She's going to help fight alongside True Cross. Actually, she's the one who saved Shiemi." Shura said, placing a hand proudly on Rock's shoulder.

"Oh! Wow, thanks! Shiemi is a good friend of mine." He smiled. His smile was just as bright if not brighter than Shiemi's had been. Maybe the reason for such a trait was that it was genuine instead of forced as the blonde's had been? "BRS here is going to working with me to learn the ins and outs of how the Order works, so we better get going." He nodded. "It was nice meeting you Rock."

"You too," the otherself said quietly before heading off with Shura to what would most likely be her new home.

* * *

Present Time: Rin

I must have passed out in my chair as when I looked over at the hospital's wall clock, the hour hand had already reached the number twelve at the top of the clock. Stretching out, I stood up and put my hand against the glass divider. "I'll be right back. I just need to get something to eat, okay?" Silence. With a sigh my hand fell back to my side before reaching for the door handle.

My stomach had been growling since I woke up from my nap, and though the food in the hospital cafeteria was nothing special, it wasn't unpalatable. They sold soups, salads, a variety of fruits and vegetables, fresh cooked rice, and an assortment of meats and fish, all aimed towards the patients' healthy recovery. I quickly picked up a small meal of rice and some cooked vegetables before heading back to the elevator with plate in hand.

Down, down, down into the depth of the hospital's basement I traveled, waving hello once more to the receptionist guarding the secret ward and heading back to the room that contained Black Rock Shooter's resting form. Just as I had left her, she lay in the hospital bed, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. She looked so peaceful; you could almost imagine that she was purposely remaining asleep just to relax for once in her life. Sitting back down in my chair, I took a bite of rice as I watched her.

At least an hour had passed as I watched her breathe steadily and I had finished my lunch. The plate had been empty for a while now, and I had finally decided that I would return it to the cafeteria. I grabbed the plate from the counter against the wall and headed for the door. I turned back to smile at Rock as usual before I headed out once more. "Be right back, Rock. I-" that's when I noticed it. Her left hand that lay out of my seated view was moving slightly, almost twitching, as her fingers curled into a fist. A shatter rang through the hall as the plate hit the floor. I ran down the hall to the receptionist, a smile wide on my face. "Call the Order! She's moving!"

* * *

 **Hello everyone! Thanks for sticking around for chapter 3! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'll be trying to stick to these Monday updates every week, so look forward to it! As always, feedback is welcome. Thank you once again, and see you next week!**  
 **~Blondie**


	4. Chapter 4

Present Time: Rin

The receptionist's eyes widened as she hastily reached for the phone and dialed a number. "Hello, is this Mr. Faust? Yes. It's about the otherself. Alright. See you soon." She placed the phone back and turned to face be once again. "They'll be here soon." My smile widened. _Maybe she'll be okay! Who knows if one of the exorcists had figured out some way to wake her and they were perfecting it right now? Maybe this was the day she would wake up to see me again? I'll hold her so close, I swear I'll never let go. She's waking up and I need to be there for her!_ I turned from the reception desk and ran back down the hallway to her room, her hand continuing to twitch. Less than a minute had passed before Mephisto walked in, followed by the two familiar faces of Yukio and Shura. "Shura! She must be waking up! I bet she'll be happy to see you." Shura merely responded with a glare and a sad smile. "Ya should probably leave, Rin."

"What? Why? I've been waiting so long. I-… I need to see her!"

"Rin, please. It's for yer own good," was all she said before she entered the room behind the glass, and stood next to the bed. "They're getting worse," Yukio remarked, pulling a hypodermic syringe out of his coat pocket. Worse? I looked at Shura, who was staring right at me, her eyes tired and almost regretful. "Shura, what's going on?" Mephisto walked over to the door to Rock's chamber and locked it shut. "Her spirit has most likely awoken in the otherworld. If she hears your voice she might attempt to project her spirit here, and we don't want to see what consequences that has, do we?" Mephisto's voice had almost a sing song tone to it as he stared at me through the glass. I looked back over at Shura, whose eyes were still locked onto my face with the same sad look.

Glancing over to Rock, Yukio had inserted the needle into her shoulder, and was slowly injecting some kind of fluid into her arm. Shortly before he removed the needle, Black Rock Shooter's hand stopped moving. "Yukio! What did you do?! Tell me! God damn it Yukio, what the hell did you just do to her!" He returned the needle to his coat pocket and walked over to the door without a word.

The second he stepped outside, I forcefully shoved him against the glass wall and glared daggers into his stupid four eyes before I pushed him aside and rushed into the room. Mephisto stepped out of my way and out the door, but Shura stayed standing next to Rock. I grabbed the otherself's once twitching hand and brushed her bangs from her face. "Rock. Come on, Rock, wake up. It's me, Rin! I'm right here! Please, wake up!" I had felt the tears rush down my cheeks the second I shoved Yukio against the glass, but now they were unendingly streaming down my face. A hand rested on my shoulder as my voice began to break from crying, and I laid my head on the sleeping girl's stomach. "Rin… I'm sorry. But what were we supposed to do?" I buried my head against Rock, trying to block out Shura's false apology. "Ya remember why she fell comatose in the first place, yeah? If we let her wake up we could end up where we were five months ago, Rin."

"How long have you been doing this?" She hesitated and sighed, her hand sliding off of my shoulder. "A little over two months."

"Two months?! Two whole months?!" I stood up from my kneeling position, my hand tightly holding Rock's. "You've been forcing her into a medically induced coma for over two months?!"

"Rin, I was in charge of her, what was I supposed to do? She killed people, Rin! She almost killed you!"

"That wasn't her and you know it, Shura! She wasn't in control!"

Shura sighed heavily, turning to face the wall. "I know, Rin, but the Order asked me to execute her. This was the best I could fight for her. Be happy she's even alive after all that happened." Every word of the upper first class exorcist felt like thousands of stings to my heart, causing my tears to once again flow freely. Shura walked out past the glass divider and out the room, Yukio following close behind.

Mephisto stood and watched as I went back to my knees and held Rock's hand with both of my own. "I almost hope she does hear you," He seemed to mock. "It would make this so much more interesting. I wonder if she can even hear you. I might have to check in on that at some point in time." His words were filthy, laced with poisonous thoughts behind his joyous tone. "I don't want you to suffer, Rin. I'm just interested in how your influence will affect her." His arm extended toward me, hand balled into a fist. Once opened, his hand revealed a key, presumably to this part of the room that had encased Black Rock Shooter. I swiped it from his palm, speaking not a word before I went back to staring at Rock. Her pale skin shined under the bright hospital light making her seem as if she was some porcelain doll rather than a living person. Yukio had known the whole time I'd visiting her that she wouldn't wake up and let me live in false hope. He had lied to me with his encouraging words and promises of her return to me, when in reality it was him that kept her from me this entire time.

* * *

Five Months Ago: Shura

About a week had passed since Black Rock Shooter joined us in Assiah, and the otherself remained incredibly quiet. She rarely spoke a word, and when she did it was a terse response to a question she was asked. The only exception to her silence was whenever Okumura Rin was mentioned, asking about how he became a demon, why he looked like that while other demons looked more beast like, so on so forth. She would jump into questions with her voice at a low volume, her response to answered questions being either more questions or silence. Hell, by this point Black Rock Shooter probably knew everything Okumura Rin knew about himself, possibly even more.

Today was one of her quiet days. She had been staring at people that walked by as I sat in a 'meeting' with Yukio and the Paladin himself, Arthur A. Angel. I glanced over at Black Rock Shooter through the room's window as she stared down a passing exorcist before turning back to address the Paladin. "Black Rock Shooter has shown promise and the Grigori themselves have given permission to use her to the Order's benefit." Arthur A. Angel rested his face against his hands, sighing. "Much to my dismay, but I am not one to question the Grigori's decision. You will dispose of her if your project goes awry, is that understood?" I nodded turning my head to face Yukio. He already had little faith in the idea that a demon whose primary purpose was to fight could be trusted, but had joined in to ensure that I would follow the Order's ruling on her trial. I had no intention of killing Black Rock Shooter until it was absolutely necessary, and would fight for her until I myself believed she was worthy of death. Yukio on the other hand seemed to have his trigger at the ready and the barrel of his gun pressed against Shooter's forehead.

As the meeting adjourned, Yukio, Angel, and myself went our separate ways. I motioned for Black Rock Shooter to rise from her seat and to follow me out, her silent nod a positive response. "Good news is I won't have to kill ya anytime soon. Bad news is four eyes is going to be crawling on my back to make sure I do it if I have to." No response. I knew Black Rock Shooter was no conversationalist but it would be nice to at least have some sociable company. Luckily I knew the one thing that would cause the girl to talk incessantly. "Ya know, Rin had to go through something just like this: a trial and all that, people not trusting him. Kinda like you, ya know?" Black Rock Shooter, of course, already knew this, having heard his story many times over.

"A demon with blue flames and dark hair had their life changed in an instant, had their loyalty tested but were still treated with suspicion, and were put on trial to determine their fate within the Order of the True Cross and Assiah." I turned back to face the otherself, a smirk on my face. "It's hard to tell which one of you two yer talking about. See what I mean?" She nodded before she fell back into silence. Maybe her quest for all knowledge on Okumura Rin had come to an end. She must have become bored with the story. The time had come to discover what peaked her interest this time. "How did Okumura Rin feel when he learned he was a demon?" Or maybe she had merely paused to take a breath. Usually, I was able to answer all of her questions, but this I had no definitive answer for. "I… don't really know. Probably shocked, or sad? Ya'd have to ask him yerself."

"Can I?" I hesitated and ceased walking. "I don't see why not? He should be getting out of his exorcist cram school any minute now, so I guess we can go see him." She nodded. "We may be able to tell apart that story based on his answer." Is that all she searched for? Answers? I wasn't entirely sure, but I knew that she had no plans to answer any further questions.

She remained silent the entire time we waited outside Rin's classroom, waiting for class to end so she could speak with him. The sound of chairs shifting from behind the door caused her body to twitch further upright. Leaning forward, I glanced at her face, taking notice of the intensity her eyes held, locked onto the door. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Ya don't have to be so serious. Not nervous, are ya?" Her shoulders fell from their tense position, and her once loose fists relaxed. Her eyes remained as serious as ever, watching as the door opened.

A group of three boys, who I recognized as Suguro Ryuji, Shima Renzo, and Miwa Konekomaru were talking amongst themselves before Shima pointed us out. "Ah, hey there Miss Kirigakure and… who might you be?" he motioned toward Black Rock Shooter a devious smirk on his face. Suguro quickly stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulder and pulling him away. "That's the otherself remember? Sorry, uh, miss. Nice seeing you Miss Kirigakure." The three walked off. "Pay no mind to them, Shooter," I said, motioning her into the classroom. She obliged, walking in slowly as I followed close behind. Yukio stood behind his desk, packing up his bag before he turned to face us. "Shura why are you-… I know you're supposed to keep an eye on her but I don't think you need to bring her on your little excursions."

"Yeah, I know. Oi, Rin!" Rin glanced up from his desk as he was packing up. "Ah, Shura! And… Rock? What are you doing here?" I motioned for Black Rock Shooter to go over to him, which she did rather quickly. "Shura, what are you thinking, bringing her here?!" Yukio 'whisper yelled' at me. "She wanted to ask him something. Didn't see she had any ill will toward your brother, so I said it was fine."

"She's _dangerous_ , Shura. You shouldn't have even brought her into the cram school!"

* * *

Five Months Ago: Rin

"How did you feel when you first learned you were a demon?"

"What?" I wasn't expecting to see anyone after class, and I definitely wasn't expecting a question like that. I barely knew the girl and now she was freely asking questions about my past? I glanced over to Shura, who was staring me down. Glancing over to Yukio, he too was staring at me with a slightly more upset look. Turning back to face Rock, who I should mention was _also_ staring at me intently, I scratched the back of my head. "Well, geez, that was a while ago… I don't really like talking about it…" Yet she continued to stare at me, awaiting an answer. A second or two passed before I glanced uncomfortably back over at Shura, trying to find an out. With a sigh, she walked over and put her hand on Rock's shoulder. "Come on, Shooter. It's not something he likes to remember. Let the boy have some space." She looked over to Shura and nodded. "Forgive me, Okumura Rin."

"It's fine, you didn't know. And, just call me Rin, okay?" She nodded. "Wait for me outside, alright Shooter?" Shura said, to which the otherself directly followed, heading towards the door. "Sorry, about that, Rin," Shura said. "She's been having a rather strange time here and when she met you she wanted to know more about ya. Not in the strange stalker way, more like why ya had pointy ears and you had a big smile on yer face when your eyes were sad and something like that. So we told her yer story and she connected with it, I guess." She sighed, glancing towards the door Rock exited through. "She's confused. She just found out she's a demon, ya know. And she's not well versed in human stuff yet, but she's learning. Go easy on her." I nodded. Shura always seemed so serious when she wasn't fighting or drinking, but in this moment, I could hear the genuine concern in her voice. I stood from my desk and headed to the door. "I'll catch you back at the dorms, Yukio."

"Rin? Where are you going?" He called after, but I gave no response. I opened the door, and poked my head out. Black Rock Shooter was standing next to the door, just outside it. "Yo." She turned her head to face me, seemingly surprised. "Hello, Rin."

"Probably were expecting Shura, weren't you?" She nodded. I stepped outside the doorway, shutting the door to the classroom behind me. "Sorry about earlier. So, you want to know how I really felt after I found out what I was?" She nodded once again. "Hmm… Well, at first I was a little confused. Everything was moving so fast, and when my dad-…"

"Rin?"

"I-I'm fine. When he died, I didn't really think about myself anymore. I was too sad and shocked I guess. My world flipped upside down so quickly, I didn't know what to think. After a while, I was more upset about my dad's death rather than thinking about me being half demon. Get it?" She nodded. "Thank you, Rin." Her bangs fell in front of her face as she tilted her head forward. "We are more alike than I first thought. I believed this would separate our stories, but it seems the story is the same."

"What do you mean by that?" The door opened and Shura stepped out with Yukio by her side. "Sorry for keeping ya, Shooter. Ready to go?" Rock nodded, following Shura. "Wait, Shura!" I called after her. She tilted her head back over her shoulder to look at me. "You wouldn't mind if I talked with Rock some more, would you?" Yukio placed his hand on my shoulder, starting to turn me around. "Rin, that's not the best idea-"

"Sure, why not?"

"Shura!" Yukio shouted at the woman. "Don't worry, four eyes, I'll keep an eye on them." I smiled, walking over to Rock and Shura. "You don't mind, do you, Rock?" She shook her head. I smiled at her. "So, how did _you_ feel when you found out you were a demon?"

* * *

Present Day: Black Rock Shooter

"Any word from Yuu yet?" I asked, continuing to walk forward. Strength shook her head. "Not yet, but I'm sure she'll be available soon." I gave no response as I followed the shorter otherself. She had no said where we were headed and dismissed all attempts of asking. What seemed to be hours passed before another word was spoken, and a large set of pillars appeared in the distance. "We're almost there now. She should have some idea of what's going on, or at least a way of figuring it out."

" _She_?" Strength said nothing else as we continued our approach, a few shadows coming into view with a small circle of pillars. Eventually I could make out someone sitting in a chair at a table, and after a few more feet of walking, the figure began to take shape. The first feature I noticed were a pair of long, devil horns. " _Strength that better not be -_ "

"Now there is certainly no way that is the voice of who I think it is, could it be?" The figure rose from _her_ chair at the table, and slowly turned around. Her glowing red eyes pierced through the air, staring me down. "Black Rock Shooter has finally returned. How interesting." Black Gold Saw pushed her chair into the table before walking over towards us. Strength stood where she had stopped before Gold Saw, not moving a muscle. "Not entirely, Black Gold Saw. Her body remains in the human world."

"So I was told." She turned from Strength and back to me, smiling. "A lot has changed since you left, Shooter. I believe it's time we catch you up on the happenings of the otherworld, shall we?"

* * *

 **Thing started to spice up in this chapter, yeah? Maybe the addition of Mephisto and Black Gold Saw surprised some of you? Maybe you were too smart for me and predicted all of this? Whatever the case, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 4 and will return for Chapter 5! As always, feedback is very much appreciated! Thank you!  
~Blondie**


	5. Chapter 5

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

The devil woman's lips curled into a smile as she stared down at Strength and me, her left hand resting under her chin while her right sat upon her hip. "After you were… how shall I put this? After you were _torn_ from the Otherworld and were brought to Assiah, there have been some changes to this world. An example of which is yours truly is now in charge." I glanced over at Strength, who eyes seems to bore into my soul as she stared me down, a silent nod confirming Black Gold Saw's claim. "What gives you the right to hold such authority?" I asked to the apparent ' _ruler_ ' of the Otherworld. She smirked, a quiet chuckle escaping her lips. "A strange man with great power in Gehenna asked me to fill in the role. I dared not decline, and accepted his proposal."

"Gehenna?"

"My, don't tell me you spent all that time with those exorcists and you don't even remember the name they gave to our realm?" She chuckled once more. "Don't play dumb. You were gallivanting around with that human for months upon months, and those exorcists kept you under such tight lock and key there is no possible way you have forgotten. You grew fond of one of them from what I was told, and learned how to _feel_." Her were harsh as she leaned over, stepping closer.

"Tell me, Black Rock Shooter. Just how human did you become?"

* * *

Five Months Ago: Rin

"So, how did you feel when you found out you were a demon?" I asked the otherself. She stared at me, perplexed, and possibly caught off guard. "How I felt?" She tilted her head to the side, gazing towards the ceiling in thought. "Otherselves aren't meant to… feel…" she paused. "I would say I was far too interested in Mato's safety to even process the thought." Scratching the back of my head, I turned from facing her to look forward as we walked. "I guess that's another similarity then." We walked in silence until I reached the door to my next class, when Shura interrupted the quiet.

"Well, Shooter, Rin has a lot of learning to do and ya best not bother him any further." She stepped forward closer and whispered "Thanks, Rin. She's not exactly the friendliest of people but… She needed someone else to talk to." I nodded and smiled, looking back at Rock with a smile just as bright. "It was nice seeing you again, Rock." She nodded. "Okumu-… Rin. Would you mind if we spoke again?" Her eyes had calmed and no longer bore into my skull. She had relaxed. "Yeah, I think that'd be cool." She nodded before turning back to Shura. "Ya ready to go?" She nodded once more, turning back to face me. "Thank you, Rin."

Shura had managed to set up some time to monitor our conversation in her office so we could talk freely. It was just after cram school had gotten out, and she had given me a key that would lead to her office as to keep it secret from Yukio. When I inserted the key and opened the door, I found myself face to face with Shura, who was sat behind a typical office desk. "Glad ya could make it." She said, leaning back in her chair. In front of her sat Black Rock Shooter, who quickly turned her head to face me once I shut the door. "Hey, Rock." She nodded. "Hello, Rin." I pulled out the second chair from in front of Shura's desk and "So… What did you want to talk about?"

"Tell me more."

"About what?" She glanced over at Shura, who nodded. Rock's eyes met mine as she turned back in my direction. "Your feelings. How do you feel?"

"Well, _right now_ I'm kinda tired now that classes are ove-"

"No. _How_ do you feel." She stared more intently into my eyes, leaning forward slightly. The uncomfortable feeling caused me to scooch the chair back and inch or two and lean back against it. "Well, I… I guess you're just born with it." She seemed unsatisfied with the answer as she leaned closer. "It's… Kinda hard to explain?" Shura seemed to notice the tension and called out to Rock, causing the otherself to lean back in her chair. "Sorry, Rin."

"No, no, it's fine! You didn't know." She hung her head a little, seemingly saddened by her mistake. "You know what? Why don't you tell me about the Otherworld? Maybe I'll understand _you_ a little better then." She lifted her head and stared at me once more. "You don't have to if you don't want to." She nodded before taking a breath. "The Otherworld is… was, constantly changing. Everyone had a place for themselves, somewhere they could exist peacefully. It's rare you run into someone until your… human counterpart has an interaction with someone. It usually doesn't end too well, with one or both otherselves dying. I had made sure to get rid of all those who could hurt my human counterpart as to protect Mato before anything bad happened.

Mato never had problems until she met Yomi. She was called Dead Master in my world. After she met Yomi, Mato began to hurt, and therefore, I hurt. So, I fought to stop our pain. Eventually, I decided that if no one was there to hurt Mato, then she wouldn't suffer. After doing away with Dead Master, however, Mato crumbled completely, and so did I…" She trailed off and looked away from both Shura and myself. "It's okay. You don't have to go on-"

"I had failed, and decided to destroy everything, saving Mato and myself. When I met her face to face the first time, she asked me to hurt her. So, I did. She didn't fight back at first, but when she did fight back, she killed me. I had died, but due to the rewriting of the Otherworld, I was brought back. And then I was brought here." She still refused herself the ability to look at either of us. My mouth hung open in shock and intrigue. "So, you were a go getter in the Otherworld, huh?" I chuckled. She didn't seem to find it funny however. "I think that's kinda cool, Rock." She nodded in what I assumed to be thanks. "What about your weapons? I saw only glimpses of them back at the thing in the forest."

"You were there?"

"Yeah… I hate to say it but I was one of the exorcists that was in that gelatinous… thing. It was _supposed_ to be a simple mission, but… Well you saw how it turned out. When I regained consciousness, I saw you, holding some huge cannon and BANG! It was gone!" As I chuckled she finally turned back to face me, her eyes much lighter in mood. "I can show you." She said, standing up. Rock glanced at Shura, waiting for approval, and once she received it, her fist began to glow blue, something beginning to materialize around it. Within seconds, that same cannon I had seen all those nights ago, stood next to her. I sat there, completely awestruck. "What else do you have?! I totally believe you could conquer the entire Otherworld with that beast, but there has to be more!" She nodded, in her left hand materializing a sword just as she had done with the cannon.

Shura chuckled from behind her desk. "Looks like we have a room full of knights." I looked over at Shura quizzically. "I knew you said you were teaching her about the Order, but are you also training her?" She nodded, a smirk on her face. "I thought, hey why the hell not? She's pretty good with a sword, might as well show her what I know. And I'll tell ya, she learns _fast_." At this point we were both staring at Rock, who stood there looking over her sword and cannon, rubbing at dents and scratch marks. "Can I watch you guys train some time? Maybe I could join you guys! I mean, after the whole Gehenna's gate thing people haven't been too keen on me using Kurikara so I could get some use out of my sword!" Rock seemed to perk up at this notion. She looked at me, before glancing back at Shura.

"Absolutely not." The older woman's voice rang from behind. "There's a difference between training and talking, and for now, it's safer for _everyone_ if we keep those separate. Black Rock Shooter turned back to her weapons, giving them one last look over before dematerializing them. "Shura…" She trailed on quietly. "I would like to see him fight for myself." The older woman shook her head. "I said no, and that's final. Ya could end up back in that horrid cell, remember? And Rin, ya'd get in a shit ton of trouble if someone caught ya here. How do ya think it would go if ya got caught training with her? How much trouble I'd get in? I'm not even supposed to be training her. Now, have ya both had a good chat?" Rock nodded, and I followed suit. "Good. Then I think ya should go back and find Yukio, Rin. Ya better have a good excuse for him." I nodded, standing up and headed towards the door. "Shura? Can we still talk?" I asked her. She nodded. "As long as Miss Shooter over here wants to, it's fine. I don't mean to be the bad guy but-"

"No I get it. Don't worry." I smiled at Rock as I inserted the key into the door. "See you soon, Rock."

* * *

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

Her words held little meaning, they felt familiar, yet still meaningless. Strength's voice derailed my train of thought. "Black Gold Saw, if I may interject-"

"You may."

"Black Rock Shooter… She holds little to no memory of her time in Assiah. It's lost to her."

"Well isn't that unfortunate," Black Gold Saw mumbled, now heading back to sit in her chair at the table. "I was so looking forward to learning all about the world we mirror. I guess we'll have no way of finding out," she said, tracing a circle onto the table's surface. A smirk rose to her face. "Or we could wait for dear Samael to return. He did tell of his return a while ago." She turned in her chair to face Strength and me. "I'm sure he'd find your situation rather… interesting…"

 _Samael?_ As if on cue a voice rang from the vast emptiness of the Otherworld. "Black Gold Saw~!" A sing song tone called out, as a man dressed in strange clothing appeared on the chair opposite of Black Gold Saw at the table. "Samael, we were just talking about you."

"Only pleasant things I do hope." He laughed. It wasn't something pleasant to listen to, and seemed to hide sinister undertones. "But Gold Saw I must ask you something." I started to walk about from behind Black Gold Saw to get a better look at the new arrival. His voice sounded all too familiar, and it sent chills down my spine. "As I appointed you ruler of this 'Otherworld', I was hoping you could tell me about a certain girl named Black Ro-" As he caught sight of me, his voice cut out, and crooked smile grew on his face. "It seems I have found who I am looking for." He rose from his chair, and began his approach, sauntering over. "It has been some time, Miss Shooter. Yet, you haven't changed a bit." I glanced at Strength, who seemed just as confused as I was. "Don't tell me you don't remember your old friend Mephisto!" Black Gold Saw had turned around to face his back as he walked towards me, her face showing a similar expression to my own. "I did not realize you knew Black Rock Shooter personally, Samael."

"Oh yes," he smirked. "I saw her all the time while she spent time with Okumura Rin."

Something clicked in my mind, like another puzzle piece to my mystery life in Assiah. That name… It was so familiar. Too familiar, in fact. When I looked back at Samael… Mephisto… whoever this was, he was smirking. "Something wrong?"

"Wh-What did you say…? What was that name…? I could feel his gaze burn into my skull as he grinned. "Okumura Rin?" It felt so… right. But… why? Who is Okumura Rin? The strange man must have noticed my confusion, as he spoke up once again. "Do you not remember him, Shooter?" I shook my head to respond no. He cackled once more before he began to walk back towards the Otherworld's 'leader'. "Samael, you know what is going on?" Black Gold Saw spoke up. He chuckled. "I mustn't say anymore, dear. If she truly doesn't remember, there's nothing I can do. Though I have a feeling you remember more than you think, Miss Shooter," he said, tipping his hat. "Please, tell me… I want to know-" The strange man chuckled once more. "All in due time, Miss Shooter." He bowed to Black Gold saw and tipped his hat once more, then just as quickly as he appeared, he vanished.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! I first want to say I am sooooooooooo sorry that this is a day late. Yesterday was very busy for me and I didn't get the chance to post this chapter. I hope you can forgive me, and I'll try not to have it happen again! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and feedback is always appreciated! Have a wonderful day!  
~Blondie**


	6. Chapter 6

Present Time: Rin

Ever since Mephisto had given me the key to Rock's chamber, I spent most of my time right at her side, running my fingers through her hair or drawing circles with my thumb against her wrist. She was truly a sight to behold when I had only been able to watch her, but being able to be close to her again? Her beauty was breathtaking. Her porcelain skin and her ebony hair made her look so delicate, and her blue eyes, the ones I prayed would open, always stole the show. I talked to her a lot more than I usually did, laying my head on the bed next to hers, and whispering quietly in her ear on how much I missed her. After what Mephisto had said, I only hoped that she could hear me, that my voice somehow reached her. "I won't let any of them near you again, Rock… I won't let them hurt you, I promise…"

My thumb had been tracing circles along her skin as it usually did while I sat next to her. I hadn't seen Yukio since the 'incident' three days ago, and whenever I saw Shura, she hung her head and looked away from me. Good. She knows what she did. The one time she had tried to talk to me after forcing Rock deeper into her coma, she began with an apology, and then rambled on about something. Like any pissed off person, I shooed her away and 'yes'ed her to death until she left. When she showed up in the main doorway of the room, I kissed Rock's cheek, stood from my chair, and stood defensively in the doorway between the two areas of the room. "Leave. Now."

"Rin… Ya have to hear me out…"

"Why? So you can lie to me about how you actually care?"

"Rin, I do care! I want to get her out of her too, but until the damage she did is forgotten, she has to stay here!"

"Shura, that could be _years_ from now." She glanced away. "I know." She sighed deeply before locking eyes with mine once again. "But I'm willing to wait that long. I know ya care about her, but so do I, Rin. I couldn't watch yer brother kill her." I sneered at her. "I'm not moving," I said, stamping foot against the tile floor. She nodded. "I don't expect ya to. But I wanted ya to know, I'm fighting for her too." With that, the flame hair woman turned on her heel, and left the room.

* * *

5 Months Ago: Rin

After Shura's words of warning against Rock and I training together, our conversations had gotten significantly less enthusiastic. Rock hardly made eye contact with me and always kept her hands firm in her lap. Today was no different. She sat with her eyes darted to the side, staring at the floor or the wall, and her hands sitting against her legs. Shura sat behind her desk, reading some paperwork, and making fake yawning noises as she went over it all. It remained that way until Shura stood and stretched her back, papers in hand. "I gotta deal with some legal junk with the Order," she mumbled, walking around her desk. "I trust ya two won't kill each other while I'm gone, yeah?" I nodded silently. Rock made no move.

As the door closed behind the woman, I turned my focus to Rock. She hadn't moved since I had arrived. "Hey… Rock? You okay?" She nodded. "You sure?" She didn't nod this time. "How… do you feel, Rin?" Her voice was just above a whisper. "How I'm feeling? I'm worried about you. _How_ I feel? It's just emotions doing their thing I guess." She nodded again. "How… How do I feel, Rin?" I titled my head quizzically, trying to obtain eye contact with the otherself. " _How_?" she muttered under her breath. "Otherselves… don't have emotions… how do I feel, Rin?" It took me a minute to process her words, before it finally clicked. "You're… feeling?" She nodded solemnly. I chuckled until the sound grew into a quiet laugh. This caused her to finally look at me, or at least in my direction. "It's… funny?" I tried to calm my laugh before staring to her cerulean eyes once more. "No, no! It's just… you seem so sad that you're starting to feel now. I think it's awesome!" She for sure was staring at me now. "You… You do?"

"Yeah!" I smiled brightly at her before chuckling again.

Then she smiled.

It was nothing too major, like the wide grin I was displaying, but the corners of her mouth had turned up ever so slightly. And that small smile, was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I stared back into her eyes, which seemed to twinkle just a little more than usual, and softened my grin to match hers. "Emotions can be really cool, Rock. You shouldn't be so sad about them all." She nodded, that sweet smile still on her face. "Thank you, Rin." I could feel my face heat up slightly, before choking out a response. "N-No problem."

We sat and talked for a short while longer, mostly about emotions, until Shura walked back in. "Looks like yer out of yer doom and gloom, ay Shooter?" Black Rock Shooter nodded, her face now relaxed and stoic once more. "Good to hear. Now I have some good news, and some bad news." Shura leaned against the wall, holding the papers in her hand at eye level. "The good news is that the Order has taken note of yer 'good behavior' and has set up a meeting between you and Miss Kuroi Mato." Black Rock Shooter stood from her chair at the mention of her human counterpart's name, her eyes wide.

"The bad news is that it's during the same time I had set aside for the next one of yer little chit chats." Rock began to sit back down, her head drooping slightly. I couldn't let her be sad again, not after seeing her smile. I took her gloved hand in my own and smiled at the otherself. "That's so great, Rock! You're going to see Mato again!" She nodded. "But then… I won't talk with you." I squeezed her hand slightly, staring deeper into her eyes. "But you can see me any day. This is something special. I _want_ you to see her, Rock." The pale skinned girl nodded slowly. "Thank you, Rin." There it was again… That beautiful smile.

* * *

Five Months Ago: Black Rock Shooter

It had been just under a week when I was scheduled to meet my human counterpart face to face, and to say I was excited about it would probably be an understatement. Shura had hypothesized that my new found 'emotions' is due to how long I've been in the human world, but we can't be sure. The important fact of the matter was that due to my development of emotions, I was now allowed to see Mato again.

We were currently walking to the Paladin's office, where my meeting with Mato would be held, and where my 'progress' would be observed. Once we reached the door, I could faintly hear voices from behind it and peaked through the glass window of Arthur Angel's office to see who was inside. The Paladin himself sat facing the door, making his face easy to make out, but the other two were sitting in chairs, facing away from the window. Even though I couldn't see their faces, I knew exactly who was behind the navy-blue pigtails. She was here, and I was finally going to see her again… The person next to her had short brown hair, and though I hadn't seen him much, I had seen enough to know that it was Rin's younger brother, Yukio.

Shura knocked twice, and I watched as the Paladin motioned for Yukio to let us in. He rose from his chair, and glanced out the window looking rather unhappy. He slowly opened the door and motioned for us to walk inside, shutting the door behind us and locking it. "Miss Kirigakure, Black Rock Shooter, welcome," Arthur Angel said. At the mention of my name, Mato stood from her chair, pigtails bouncing slightly, and turned around. "H-Hey, Black Rock Shooter…" She mumbled, cautiously waving at me. She looked just as she had when I had last seen her, albeit a little more afraid and wearing casual clothing. "Mato…" I didn't even glance at anyone for approval before I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around Mato, pulling her into an embrace. I felt her body tense against mine, followed by the sound of a gun being cocked. I assumed it was Yukio, ready to dispose of me if I made the wrong move, but I could care less.

Slowly, she relaxed, and wrapped her arms around me, returning the hug. We didn't speak a word for the longest time, not one of us wanting to ruin the moment, but it was I who spoke first. "I'm… I'm sorry, Mato…" The whole time after I fought Mato, I had no regrets of anything I had done, but with each passing day and new emotion, I felt worse and worse, guilt building in my stomach. It felt good to finally say a proper apology to her. She shook her head against my shoulder. "No, I wanted you to hurt me! You don't have to be sorry! I should be sorry for dumping all my emotions and problems onto you! I made you go insane. It's not your fault, Black Rock Shooter!"

The apologies went back and forth for some time before we both took our seats, and just stared at each other for a while. "You look just like when I first saw you," the short haired girl said, a smile on her face. "It's hard to believe you're… here. In the human world." I nodded in agreement. "It is… but I am." I could feel a small smile build on my face. Her joy was contagious. Shura introduced herself after a short while, and shook hands with Mato. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Kirigakure."

"Pleasure's all mine, Kuroi." Mato smiled at Shura. I thought back to the girl I had saved, Shiemi, and her smile. At the time I had thought that they had similar smiles, but seeing Mato again, I could see the differences. Shiemi's was soft and gentle, while Mato's was joyful and passionate. Rin's smile reminded me more of Mato's. They both seemed to light up the room, and both made me happy to see. How I wished Mato could meet Rin, as he was only other person I trusted in the Order of the True Cross besides Shura, but if I let it slip that we talked, I could get him and Shura in trouble, and I wouldn't get to see him.

"Black Rock Shooter? Are you okay?" I shook my head out of my thoughts, focusing back on Mato. "Yes… I am okay, Mato." Mato smiled once more. "Alright Black Rock Shooter, your time is up," Arthur Angel said, standing from his chair. "You may leave now, Miss Kuroi." Mato stood from her chair, and smiled sadly at me. "Maybe I'll see you again some other time, Black Rock Shooter?" She glanced at the Paladin, hoping for a positive response. "We shall see," was all he said, before Mato pulled me into a hug, which I gladly returned. "Thank you, Mato."

"For what?" she giggled. "For not hating me for what I did." Her smile softened. "I could never hate you, Rock." _Rock… That's what Rin calls me… I hope he's okay…_ "Alright, Shooter," Shura's voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Miss Kuroi has to go now." Mato nodded, and was lead out by Yukio while she waved goodbye. "Black Rock Shooter," the Paladin's voice rang out, "From what you have displayed here, you may continue to live freely in Assiah, as long as Miss Kirigakure watches you." I nodded and Shura thanked him before leading me out of his office.

"Nice going Shooter! Now things should be a little easier on ya." We continued walking until we reached Shura's office, and walked inside. I sat in the chair against the wall as Shura rounded her desk, and plopped down into her chair. She organized a few papers on her desk before picking up a small sheet, and smirked. "Well, Shooter, looks like you're going to be busy tomorrow." She reached over her desk with the note extended from her fingers. I stood and grabbed it from her hands, reading it over.

 _Hey, Shura,_

 _Since Rock was busy meeting Mato today, would she be able to talk tomorrow? I know you're busy but I promise I'll keep an eye on her. Yukio will be out so there's no risk of her getting caught._

 _I'll pick her up from your office tomorrow. If she isn't there, I know your answer._

 _Rin_

* * *

Present Time: Rin

I sat back down next to Rock, taking her hand in my own. Like hell I was going to trust Shura after what she had just stood and watched as Yukio killed all trust I had for him. The only one that had shown any way of redeeming themselves was Mephisto. I don't know how involved he was in Rock's situation, but he had given me access to my Rock. He had given me hope after the hope I previously had was crushed by my own brother. Yet I hadn't seen him once since that day. Half of me wanted to thank him, and the other half wanted to punch him square in the gut for being a part of Yukio and Shura's plan. I took time to watch her breathe, the blanket on her stomach rising and falling with each steady breath. Eventually my breathing matched hers, the process relaxing me. I laid my head on the bed next to hers, and closed my eyes. A little rest would do some good.

However, my sleep was disturbed by a knock at the door. I woke with a jolt, shaking the bed slightly as I looked up to the source. "Okumura~!" I wiped my eyes in attempt to further wake myself and focus my vision, but I knew the voice all too well. "Mepisto? Wha-… What are you doing here?" I said, yawns breaking my speech. "I've been trying to help you, Rin. I've been thinking of ways to wake that poor girl next to you." I shot up from my chair and walked to the door between Rock's chamber and the rest of the room, placing my hands against the glass. "What did you come up with? Are you sure it will work?!" He removed his obnoxiously large hat from his head, bowed, and stepped to the side, revealing a small, pigtail wearing girl behind him. "Okumura Rin, I'd like you to meet Kuroi Mato."

* * *

 **Alrighty everyone, we're back on schedule! I hope you're enjoying the story so far! I'd also like tho thank akiranakamuranura** **for such wonderful reviews! They really motivate me to keep writing ^w^**

 **As always feedback is appreciated, and thank you for reading Comatose!  
** **~Blondie**


	7. Chapter 7

Present Time: Rin

"Y-You're-…" I stared in disbelief. Black Rock Shooter's human counterpart stood before me, shyly smiling. Mephisto leaned to Mato, raising an arm in my direction. "Miss Kuroi, this is Okumura Rin. He is a very good friend of Black Rock Shooter." She nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Okumura Rin." I quickly unlocked the door of the glass wall to properly address the girl. "It's nice to meet you too, and you can just call me Rin, it's fine." She nodded. "Black Rock Shooter never told me about you… I was surprised when Mr. Pheles told me that you two had grown close."

I slowly approached the girl, closing the divider behind me. "Yeah… technically we weren't supposed to see each other at all. Rock being… well, basically being a prisoner of the Order." She nodded in understanding. A silence hung in the air as we awkwardly looked away from each other. Mephisto was the one to break the quiet. "Rin~, I'm sure Mato would like to see her otherself, if you wouldn't mind," he said, pointing at the key I held. "O-Oh, yeah." I turned and reopened the glass door, motioning for Mato to enter, but refusing Mephisto passage to the other room. "Oh, Rin. Do you really not trust me?"

"Not yet." I grumbled, crossing my arms. He shrugged, resting his hands on his umbrella. I turned back to Rock and Mato, watching as Mato sat in the chair I had previously been sleeping on. She smiled down at her sleeping counterpart. "She looks so peaceful… It's different. In a good way, of course." Mato chuckled, glancing over to me before facing Mephisto. "Now, if I remember correctly, you were able to project your mind into that of Black Rock Shooter's were you not?" Mephisto trilled. The pigtailed girl nodded. "If that would wake her up, I'd do it." I watched as the demon king's lips curled into a sickening grin. "You'll never know if you don't try~.

"I think… I think I can reach out to her…" She laid her head next to Rock's and grabbed her hand with her own. "If I just concentrate…"

"Wait- Mato… you don't have to if you don't want to- last time you did something like that-… And what if you don't wake up? It's too risky, Mato. Rock wouldn't want you to hurt yourself-"

"It's like Mr. Pheles said, Rin. I won't know if I don't try." Part of me wanted to let her do this, as she could see Rock again and hopefully help her, but another part of me was screaming not to let her even attempt it, for if she was hurt, the consequences it held for both her and Rock could be disastrous. "Mato, wait-" yet my words came too late, as I notice as the Mato's eyes lay wide open, blank.

* * *

Five Months ago: Rin

Just yesterday, I had left a note on Shura's desk, one that requested spending time with Rock without supervision, and while I had told myself not to get my hopes up, I couldn't help but be excited. I hastily fumbled through my pockets to find the key to Shura's office, before placing it into the dorm room's door. "I'll be back later Kuro!" I called out, before stepping through the doorway.

Shura's office seemed a lot emptier without the loud red head in it. At first, there was no sight of Rock, leading me to believe Shura had refused my request, but after doing a quick check around her desk, I found the otherself sitting on the floor behind it. "Rin! You're here!" I chuckled. "Did you think I wasn't coming?" I extended my hand to the otherself, which she used to pull herself from the floor. "What're you doing on the floor anyways?"

"Shura told me to hide there, in case anyone walked by and saw me…" She said, heading for the chairs we usually sat in, but I grabbed her shoulder, and spun her to face me. "I was thinking we could head out. It's kinda dull in here, and you should be able to experience this world to its fullest!" She hesitated. "Would we not get in trouble for leaving?"  
"Not if no one knows you left." She looked at me, slightly confused, before taking my hand in her own. "Okay. I trust you, Rin." I glanced at her hand before staring into her eyes. They seemed to twinkle with life even more than last time. And the blue against her pale skin shone brighter than the sun… She was smiling again… I shook myself out of my thoughts, and began to take off my hoodie. "Here," I said, handing it to her. "People don't usually dress like that. If we don't want to get caught, you'll have to try to blend in."

She nodded, unbuckling and dropping her long jacket onto one of the chairs. Her outfit never left much to the imagination, but the loss of her jacket revealed so much more of her pale skin. I could feel my cheeks warming up as I let my eyes wander, until she pulled the hoodie down over her chest and stomach. "A-Alright," I said, averting my eyes in attempt to regain my composure. "Y-You ready now?" She held up a finger to motion she needed a second, and removed her gloves, placing them on top of her jacket. "Yes. I'm ready." I took her hand with my own, and began to lead her out. I placed the key to the boy's dormitory into the door, and turned.

"This is where you stay?" I nodded, grinning. "It's not much but it's kinda cozy. And Yukio and I have the whole building to ourselves which is really nice." She nodded, glancing around while I led her to the kitchen. "I don't know if I've ever asked you, but, where do you stay, Rock? Like, when Shura isn't with you." She lowered her head and shrugged. "It's a cell somewhere in the Order's headquarters. I haven't been given much detail." I stopped dead in my tracks, and turned to face her. "A cell?" She nodded. "But… I thought they trusted you now?"

"Not as much as I wish they did." I grumbled and bared my teeth in anger. _A cell? Really? She's not some kind of animal!_ "Rin… It's okay. Let's… let's not think about it." I let out a heavy sigh before turning back to the kitchen, and pulled a picnic basket out of the fridge. "Yeah. Yeah, let's enjoy today!" I said, lifting the picnic basket up to show her. "Alright, this is all I needed. Let's go!" Hand in hand, we walked out of the dorms and into the sunlight. "Fresh air! Much better than that stuffy office, right, Rock?" I looked back over my shoulder at her as she walked outside, inhaling deeply. She softly smiled and nodded. "It is, Rin." I clutched her hand tighter and smiled back, turning to face forward. "Okay then! First stop, True Cross Town!"

Once we arrived in town, Rock seemed overwhelmed, constantly looking around her to take it all in, and watching in awe at all the people and shops. Each store we passed had her poking her head in, just to look at the establishment. Eventually, we reached the end of town, and headed into the heavily wooded area behind the school. "What'd you think?"

"This… this is how humans live?" I nodded and smiled. "And that's not even half of it!" Her eyes were still wide with surprise and puzzlement, and her jaw hung slightly open. I giggled, and led her further in the forest. "Alright, I had one more thing planned for today," I said, placing the picnic basket on the grass of the forest. "A picnic! If that wasn't obvious by the basket."

"Picnic?"

"Yeah, it's where people lay out a blanket on the grass and then just enjoy a meal together." She nodded and watched as I pulled a blanket out of the basket and began to lay out all the food I had made. Once I had finished, I sat and pat the blanket next to me, smiling up at her. She nodded, and sat as I had motioned for her to. "Rin? Otherselves… we don't need… food." My smiled slowly faded and I gulped, remembering this one simple fact. "R-Right… Sorry," I said, placing the sandwich I had just lifted back onto a paper plate. "We can just talk then, if that's okay?" Her voice was almost a whisper, and her eyes were darting in every direction other than my own. "Yeah. That's always nice, Rock." Her eyes glanced at me, if only for a second, and she smiled softly.

"So, uh, how has your 'feeling' been going, Rock?" She shrugged. "Okay then… How'd your thing with Mato go?" Her eyes twinkled, and she finally sat up to face me. "It was… It was really nice. She forgave me, and that's all I wanted. And we were able to talk to each other… They let me hug her. I was… I was really happy, Rin." I smiled. To see her so happy was all I really wanted at this moment. I was tired of seeing her gloomy face, and I wanted to see that smile that melted my heart. And she provided just that. She began to get lost in thought with her memories of Mato, and smiled wide, her eyes closed in content.

When she noticed I was staring, she fell back to reality, and glanced away from me again. "S-Sorry, Rin." Her smile dropped, and she twiddled her fingers together. I was drawn to her, and crawled over and sat beside her. "No need, Rock. It's all okay." Her eyes darted to my face, her face following close behind. We spoke not a word, our eyes locked in a gentle stare, and she smiled. I could feel my cheeks heat up again, but I didn't turn away this time. "You should smile more, Rock. You have a wonderful smile." Her body violently twitched for a second, and she turned away, pushing herself backwards. "Rock? Are you okay?!" She shook her head no, and stared down at the grass just off the blanket. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I-I… I felt something… It hurt…" I moved to her side and put my hand on her back. "Do you want to go back?" She shook her head no again. "Do you want to talk about it?" No. I decided to cease my questions and wait for her to calm down, tracing small circles along her back with my hand. "It's okay, Rock. It'll be okay." After a while, her body stopped shaking and her breathing returned to normal, prompting me to believe she had calmed down. She slowly sat back on the blanket and took a few deep breaths. "What happened?"

"My body… it hurt…" I tilted my head in confusion to signify I didn't quite understand. Rather than further explaining what she felt, she grabbed my hand from the blanket and placed it against her chest. "R-Rock?"

"Here. It hurt here." It took me a few minutes to realize what she really meant, and I only pieced it together when I noticed my hand would be right over where her heart would be.

* * *

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

Ever since my encounter with Mephisto, all I could think of was that name. Okumura Rin. I had said it aloud a few times in attempt to make sense of it, but all it did was leave me with a fuzzy feeling in my mind and my chest. It all felt so right but why? Who is Okumura Rin?! Black Gold Saw had instructed me to stay within the small area she had claimed as her own, and kept a close eye on me. It didn't bother me to be watched all the time, as she had done it constantly before I lost my sanity. But it also felt familiar. The feeling of being constantly watched and guarded, it was something more familiar than it should have been. Nothing made sense anymore.

I was pacing around, attempting to make sense of all these puzzle pieces I had gathered, when something in my mind clicked. It was faint, but I felt it. Then I heard it. I heard _her_.

"Black Rock Shooter?! Can you hear me?!" _Mato-…_ What was she doing here? How did she manage to reach into my mind. "Rock it's me, Mato!" I ceased pacing, and closed my eyes to concentrate. "Mato?"

"Yes! Rock, I'm here!"

"But why? Why did you connect with me once more?"

"I'm here to try and wake you up!" Wake me? So Strength was right. My body remained comatose in Assiah while my mind traveled back to the Otherworld.

"Then you are with my body?"

"Yes! Yes, we all are!" _All_?

"What do you mean you _all_ are Mato?"

"It's me, Mephisto, and Rin! We want you to wake up!" _That name… how did she know that name?!_

"Mato, who is that? Tell me who Okumura Rin is!"

"Y-You don't remember him?" I wish I could communicate through motions, to shake my head in remove any unnecessary words from our conversation.

"No. Who is he? And… Mephisto… Why is he there? Mato stay away from him!"

"He just wants to help, Black Rock Shooter! And Rin… I don't know much, but you were close friends. You were always together, Rock!" Her voice had become frantic, and her presence had begun to fade. "I-… I think he loved you, Rock. So please! Please wake up! Pleas-" but her words were cut off as the connection between us shattered, and my eyes shot open.

* * *

 **I feel like this chapter seems a little rushed, and isn't exactly what I wanted, but I hope you all like the outcome of my writing! This is also a little later in the day than I normally post, but I wanted to try and edit this one as much as possible. We've also just caught up to all the chapters I had pre-prepared for this story. School gets in the way but I promise I'll find time to write more!**

 **As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated, and I hope you enjoyed chapter 7 of Comatose!  
~Blondie**


	8. Chapter 8

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

"Mato!" I screamed as the connection between my human counterpart and myself shattered. "Black Rock Shooter?! What happened?!" Black Gold Saw cried out from a short distance away. I could feel the ground vibrate as she ran over, and I turned to face her. "I-It was Mato."

"Mato? But… How?" I shrugged, and stared out into the distance, trying to process what she had said. "She's with him. That Samael." Gold Saw's face wrinkled in confusion before it lit up. "So he can actively move between the worlds… quite interesting." I rolled my eyes and walked in the direction of Black Gold Saw's table and chairs, though I would physically phase right through them if I sat down. "Do you understand what this means, Shooter?"

I shook my head no as I turned back to face her. She bared her teeth in a cunning grin and tapped her lip with one of her clawed hands. "If he can travel to Assiah, Gehenna, and back, don't you think it may be possible for him to bring someone else with him?" I stared at her, confused, before it finally clicked in my head. "My body-… He could bring my body here! Do you think that would work?" The devil horned woman shrugged, and smirked. "There's only one way to find out, right?"

* * *

Five Months Ago: Rin

Could it be? Could it be that Rock is gaining some semblance of a heart? Of course, that would be improbable, but then again, she's already gained so many other emotions… She had already learned how to care, as evident with how she felt about Mato, but for her chest to hurt? I could only think of it being one thing. Is Black Rock Shooter learning to lov-

"R-Rin, I think we should get back. Maybe Shura will know when she returns." My mental inquiries were cut off by Rock as she stood from the blanket and began to pace back and forth in worry. "I-I'm sure it's nothing super serious, Rock-"

"But what if it is, Rin? What if your world is finally too much for me?" To see her worry hurt me terribly, and I quickly gathered up all the picnic materials before I rushed to her side, and took her hand in my own. "Hey… Rock… It's going to be okay," I said in the calmest voice I could produce. Luckily, the seemed to ease her tension, as her shoulders relaxed and she let out one long, heavy, breath. Her body twitched slightly as I squeezed her hand gently, but soon after, she gently squeezed back. "Feel any better?" She nodded. "We… We should still head back though. Shura… She'll be returning to her office soon…" I nodded, and led her back in the direction of the dorms.

Once we arrived back, I dropped off the picnic basket and blanket, before using a key to return to Shura's office. Luckily for us, she hadn't arrived yet, and we could make it seem as if we had never left. We sat in the chairs we normally did and tried to spring up an average conversation, but it always managed to circle back to what Rock had felt earlier today. "It didn't really hurt," she would begin, "but the feeling was so strong that it did, in a sense. Have you ever felt that, Rin?" My answer was always something similar to "If I did I'm sure I'd remember it," or "In the past, probably, yeah." I didn't want to mention that I felt what she described almost every time I saw her at this point.

Within about a half an hour, Shura opened the door to her office, yawning. "Oh, yeah. I forgot I left you two here." She continued her walk into the room, but stopped shortly once she stood next to Rock, glancing over the two of us, before sitting in her chair behind her desk. "So… did anything interesting happen today?" She asked. I glanced at Rock and shook my head no, and she quickly followed suit. The red haired woman raised an eyebrow, before pointing and waving her index finger at Rock. "And uh, Rock is wearing yer jacket, why?"

Shit.

"Well you see- Rock was uh… She was cold!" I glanced at Rock before back at Shura, who's eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Cold?" I looked over at Rock, who was nodding slowly, and her feet shifted nervously. "Alright then. As hard as it is to believe, I have no reason to believe otherwise, yeah?" I laughed nervously ad scratched the back of my head, knowing that Shura would probably be on my back to figure out what actually happened. "

Ya should be getting back, Rin. It's late and Yukio'll be back soon, won't he?" I stood from my chair abruptly. "Oh shit, you're right!" I turned to Rock, who had slowly stood from her chair to send me off. "I'll uh… I'll see you again soon, Rock." As I smiled at Rock, she did the same, and nodded. "W-Well, I have to get going. Thanks, Shura!" The busty woman smirked and waved goodbye as I headed out the office and back to the dorms.

Once I entered the dorm Yukio and I shared, I quickly made it to seem as if I had been busy, and cleaned up what I had left of the picnic. I curled up on my bed with Kuro, and pulled out a text book from class. It didn't take long for Yukio to return home, and when her did, I could hear the door to our room slam shut. "Yukio? Bro? You okay?" I called out, closing the textbook and rolling off the bed. After receiving no response, I walked out of my bedroom and out into the main area of the dorm. Yukio sat at the main table, head in his hands, and grumbling. "Hey, Yukio. What happened?" After a second, he lifted his head and slammed his hands against the table. "Shura's getting reckless. Far too reckless." My breathing hitched and I gulped. Had he figured out that she'd been letting Rock and I meet? "H-How so?" I asked him. "She's been training that otherself how to fight. She's been showing her secrets that shouldn't get out to anyone outside of the Order."

"But doesn't Rock count as a member of the True Cross?"

"Not in the slightest. She's a demon being kept captive to protect people, specifically her human counterpart. She actually scheduled a meeting between the two! Does she not understand what her job is?!" I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders to make myself seem just as confused as he was, and headed over to the fridge. Slowly, I removed the food from the picnic I made Rock, and placed it on a plate in front of Yukio. Without another word, he began eating and sighed. "Sorry, Rin. I shouldn't be dragging you into this." I pat his back in a reassuring way and stretched out. "Nah, it's fine. You just need to get it all off your chest, yeah?" He nodded and adjusted his glasses. "It's getting late, Rin. We should head off the bed."

"Yeah. Good idea."

The next day, I immediately headed to Shura's office, and when I arrived, I was greeted by an empty room, just as I had expected. After scanning over her desk, I quickly found a small yellow sticky note, with a simple message left behind. "Room 104, -Shura" Without knowing who the message was left for, I could only hope it was for myself, the only other person I knew that had a key to Shura's office, and immediately headed through the halls of the building to search for the aforementioned 'room 104'.

It did take a while to find it, as I had to avoid people in the building to keep myself from being caught, but I eventually found the room. It was a large room, one covered with training equipment for exorcists. The sound of metal against metal alerted me of activity, and I hid behind a rack of wooden swords, watching as I could make out three figures across the room. Two were fighting, while the third stood watching behind the two in the shadows. One clearly was Rock, her uneven twintails and slender body hard to forget, and the other was Shura, her flaming hair trailing behind her as her sword clashed against Rock's. The third was harder to identify, but after noticing the large top hat, it became quite obvious that the third was none other the Mephisto Pheles himself.

* * *

Present Time: Rin

I shook Mato's shoulders violently, trying as hard as I could to wake her from her trance as she connected with the otherworld. "Mato! Mato, wake up! Mephisto, she could be seriously hurt!" I called out, but the purple haired man did nothing to help. I my eyes locked with Mato's own dulled pair, as I continued to try and wake her from her slumber. But nothing happened. What seemed to be hours passed, when in reality it had only been a few minutes, before Mato blinked and shot up from the chair she sat in to her feet. "Mato! You're okay!" But she made no further movement. "Mato?" Slowly, she turned to face both myself and Mephisto. "I saw her."

"What?"

"I saw Black Rock Shooter. She's in the otherworld."

"You-… You saw her?!"

"I believe that's what she said, Okumura," Mephisto said, placing his hand on my shoulder. Mato nodded and looked over at, Rock. "But she doesn't… She doesn't remember, Rin." I could feel my heart stop, as I froze in place. "Wha-… what do you mean, Mato?" She bit her lip, and turned away from me, holding her hands in front of her. "She doesn't remember you, Rin."

"…what?" Mato glanced over her shoulder before looking back down at Rock. "Does she remember her time here in the human world?!" Mato shrugged. "She remembered Mephisto and myself… but she didn't know your name when I told her you were here." I could feel my legs trembling and beginning to give way as I reached out to steady myself against the wall. "Rock… Rock forgot about me? There's no way that would happen!" I shouted, as tears began to form in my eyes. "She couldn't forget-… There's no way…"

My eyes trailed over to the sleeping girl and her shut eyes. Each day I waited for her to open her eyes and greet me with a smile, but to think that she wouldn't even know who I was when she woke up, it crushed me. I could feel my hopes shatter, and my heart began to ache. "Mato… can I?" I pointed to the chair and she moved aside. Now sitting, I took Rock's hand in my own and brushed my other hand against her cheek. "Miss Kuroi," said Mephisto, "I believe we should let Rin have some time to himself for now." The sound of their footsteps against the tile floor, and the opening and closing of the hospital room door were the only signs I needed to know that the two had left. Slowly, I leaned forward towards the otherself that lay before me, and gently kissed her cheek. "Mato… if Mato's right… I need you to wake up more than ever, Rock… I need you to remember me… so please, please wake up."

* * *

 **Okay, okay, this chapter is looooong overdue and I'm really sorry! I really have no excuses besides "I forgot" which isn't acceptable for me. School has been really stressful, especially with planning for college, and I'm having trouble finding time to write.  
Aside from that, here is chapter 8. Once again, I'm so sorry that it's late, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

 **As usual, feedback is always appreciated.**

 **Thank you so much for reading chapter 8 of Comatose!  
**

 **~Blondie**


	9. Chapter 9

Present time: Black Rock Shooter

"So how do we get in contact with Samael?" Black Gold Saw's smirk quickly dropped as I asked, and became a more puzzled expression. "He usually comes to the otherworld on his own terms, but he does have a habit of showing up when he's needed."

"So… We just wait?" With a look of disdain, Gold Saw nodded, and sat in a chair at her table.

And so we waited. We waited for what seemed to be days, keeping idle conversation as we stayed within the devil woman's personal domain. After a while, I had begun to think that he would not come, and had begun to formulate ideas on how to summon him in some way. I would bring his name up in conversation more often the normal, in hopes that he would be drawn with the mere mention of his many titles, but not once did it work. I was becoming tired of waiting. I almost eagerly waited to hear the sing song tone of his off-putting voice, and see that ridiculous outfit he always wore. These days of waiting were some of my worst moments in the otherworld, as it held little purpose.

Thankfully, our waiting was rewarded. After almost four days after Mato had contacted me, I heard the his ever-familiar chuckle, and his silhouette began to form in the distance. Black Gold Saw rose from her seat, and clasped her hands together in front of her waist. "Samael, it's so nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Miss Gold Saw." He said, tipping his hat. "From what I've heard, you've been waiting for my return, is this correct?"

"How did you-"

"I ran into that Strength girl on my journey here. The gate I used to enter opened further away than what I expected." As he continued his approach, he came to a stop just before the table, and bowed to Black Gold Saw, the ruling otherself doing the same. "Samael, you've mentioned that you travel between the world of Gehenna and Assiah, yes?" He nodded, now taking a seat at Gold Saw's table. "What are the limitations on what can travel between these _gates_?" He sat back in the chair and stroked his beard slowly, his eyes closed while he sat in thought. "I've never quite tested that, though I'd be willing to. What did you have in mind, dear Gold Saw?"

"Bring me my body." I chimed in, quickly approaching him from where I stood. I was not going to sit through his eloquent speeches and questions of back and forth between the two. Slowly, he opened his eyes, his two, yellow-green iris' glaring in my direction. "While that is quite the thought, I do believe that could do more harm than good. Your memories could be, potentially, lost forever if you follow through with that idea."

I stared him down, unblinking. It was true, I wanted to know of the time I had lost, but I wanted a physical form back more. "Dear Black Rock Shooter, have you ever considered that you yourself leave the otherworld and return to Assiah? You are simply a projection of you mind in this state. To return to the human world may result in something far more favorable."

"Would that work?"

"I've given myself quite some time to think this over, and to be perfectly honest with you Miss Shooter, I wholeheartedly believe it will."

I glanced over at Black Gold Saw, looking to see if she could read any malicious intent in his voice, but she gave no indication of such. I looked back over at Mephisto, my face stoic and determined.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Five Months Ago: Rin

I watched in secret with baited breath as Shura went rushing after Rock, her eyes almost angry as she swung her sword to collide with the otherself's blade. Mephisto stood across the room, his hands clasped in front of his face as his eyes darted back and forth between the two girls. This continued for a while, and occasionally I would see Shura mumble something as she stood with her sword crossed against Black Rock Shooter's, before she would jump back and prepare to attack again. I could only assume this was the training Shura put Rock through, as if they were fighting, the otherself would have surely used her cannon at this point.

And then there was a spark. Clear as day, as the two ran their swords against each other, a spark of blue rose from between them, before it set into a full flame. I stumbled backwards, worried that I had become too invested in the fight and had begun to lose control, but I was only further shocked when I learned of the flames true source. Black Rock Shooter's left eye had set ablaze with a burning blue flame, and did not cease for some time. Shura did not advance again, and sheathed her sword within her chest. Mephisto's hands fell to his sides, and a smirk rose on his face. My attention was drawn back to Rock as she dropped her sword to the ground, and it began to dematerialize within the air.

"It's getting worse." Shura remarked, slowly advancing towards Rock. Mephisto nodded, before he too began to move closer to Rock. "Miss Shooter," he began. "If you cannot learn to control this little issue of yours, I firmly believe that you will be executed." His voice rang out in its natural tone, jumping up in down in song. Rock nodded turning to Shura with her head hung low, the blue flame slowly flickering out. "You'll get it under control, Rock. I know ya can." After patting her shoulder, Mephisto turned towards the door, and retrieved a key from his pocket, and within moments, I heard the door close shut.

"Ya can come out now, Rin." Rock's head quickly lifted up, and began to scan all around her. So, Shura did know that I was there. Slowly, I walked out from my hiding place, and headed towards the two. Rock's eyes locked with mine, and she began to approach, but after noticing my shock, she stopped. "Shura… Rock… You two… Rock has Satan's flames too?" Shura hung her head and put her hand on her hips. "It seems so. She usually only exhibited this ability when she would defeat an enemy of some kind, but the longer she's been here, the more she's lost control of it."

"So… is that how Yukio found out?" She nodded. "I thought he'd tell ya. But yeah. They're just about ready to execute her." I could feel my body tense and my fists clench. Our stories continued to follow the same pattern, and if this is where they split, I would lose Rock forever. "Luckily, Mephisto came to her rescue, and is trying to convince them that she can be in control. He's been using you as an example, so if you display anything wrong, that could be it for her. I left you the note because this could be the last time you see her for a long time, Rin."

"How long?" Shura tilted her head to the side and shrugged as she sighed heavily. "Could be longer than our lifetimes." My focus redirected to Rock. She had been staring at her feet, hands behind her back. I once again began to walk towards her, and pulled her into a tight hug. At first, she didn't move, and kept her body still, but slowly, she began to tremble. She pressed her face into my shoulder and lifted her arms to the point where they could just wrap around my waist. "Rock, I'm not going to let them take you away."

"Rin, there's nothing ya can do-"

"I'm _not_ going to let them take her, Shura." I said, cutting the red-haired woman off, pulled the raven haired one tighter into my embrace. "Rin… Shura helped me figure out what that feeling was…" She mumbled softly as she began to lift her head up. I could feel my heart begin to race, as her eyes locked with mine, her bright blue eyes almost beginning to tear up. "When I think about you, or being forced to leave you, Rin, my chest begins to hurt just as it did before. I don't think I can be without you, Rin."

"Shooter, I don't think now is the best time-"

"I think I love you, Rin." My breathing hitched and my heart skipped a beat as she said those words, tears now spilling out of her eyes and threatening to spill out of my own. Shura's warning had been ignored, as Rock confirmed my suspicions. "Rock…" I whispered, moving one of my hands from her back to wipe the tears now running down her cheeks, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Because… I feel the same, Rock."

A hand I could only assume was Shura's, pressed against my shoulder, trying to pull me apart from the smaller girl, but I jerked by shoulder to force it off. "Rin, I need to talk to ya about this. She doesn't understand yet. It's not safe for her to pursue these feelings, Rin, believe me." But I wasn't listening. All my focus had been given to Rock as she continued to stare deep into my eyes, a sad smile growing on her face. "Hey, Rin?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… I can really control my emotions?" I rested my head on top of hers and inhaled deeply. "Yeah… And if you ever start to lose control, I'll be right there to help you." She nodded, and nuzzled her head against my neck.

Ever since that day, I had convinced Shura to let me help her convince the Order to keep Rock, to convince them that she was a valuable asset to their cause. It had taken a lot of debating, but as a previous example of Shura's work to keep my flames under control, I had been allowed permission to assist Miss Kirigakure in her efforts to ensure Black Rock Shooter was under control. Yukio was not particularly happy with this decision, but he did nothing to change it.

Unfortunately, during this time, Black Rock Shooter had been kept in her cell, away from both groups to prevent any radical action. It was hard to keep away from her, especially since she was always on my mind. I would let my memories wander to the moment I saw her last, her arms wrapped around me, and those four simple words played on repeat. "I love you, Rin."

Shura had pulled me aside over the weekend to meet with me on the matter of Black Rock Shooter's progress since she arrived in Assiah. "Okay, Okumura. It's going to take some time before they properly release her, so I now's the perfect time I catch ya up. Ever since she was pulled from Gehenna, she almost immediately started exhibiting emotions, ones such as rage and anger, specifically to defend herself and at the mention of Miss Mato Kuroi. After a while she began to experience loneliness, which I why I told her about ya. After she was able to meet ya and talk with ya, she learned what it meant to be happy and sad. And now… Well you heard her. There's almost no denying that she's beginning to care much stronger than before. But she doesn't know what that means. She's never felt this before and it's very different than all other emotions."

"Then I'll help her learn, Shura! You know how I feel and if I could help her control her emotions, then she could be trusted!"

"It's not just that, Rin. That flame of hers is getting stronger, and that's practically an invitation for Satan to invoke his wrath. I don't think having ya by her side would help prevent her from being the next target."

"Shura, Yukio and I both fought him off. We've done it before and I'll do it all over again. I'll make sure that never happens."

"Ya better be right about that, Rin."

* * *

Present Time: Rin

It had been four days since I had left Rock's side. I kept the door locked, and refused myself to eat anything in fear that she would wake up alone. My thought process was that if she woke up, and the first thing she saw was me, she might be able to remember. I didn't want to take any risk of losing all that I had with her. A knock at the door rang from outside the glass wall, and in through the door walked none other than Shura herself. Her head hung low, and she refused to make eye contact with me. After she reached the glass door, she knocked twice and raised her head. "Rin. I need to talk to ya. Ya look like death itself so please, come out of there. I'm not going to go anywhere near her. I promise." Slowly, I raised my head from the hospital bed and walked over to the door, slowly sliding it open a crack. "What?" I answered, my voice slightly weak. "Ya need something to eat, first of all. Come on, I'll treat ya. We'll be back in no time, I promise." I slid out through the crack and gazed back at Rock before I locked the door. "Fine."

On our way up to the main floor, I had my eyes constantly locked on Shura as to make sure she didn't try anything suspicious. "It's only you, right? You came alone?" She nodded, exiting the elevator as I followed close behind. "Cause if you brought Yukio here, I will find you and I _will_ hurt you." She said nothing.

We made our way to the cafeteria and had a small meal, and I'll admit, I did miss food, even if it was just average quality. Once we finished our meals, neither one of us moved from our chairs. We sat in silence for a short while before I rose from my chair, and started to head back to Rock's room, but Shura grabbed my wrist, preventing me from leaving. "Rin, wait. I never meant to hurt her. It really was the only way I could keep her safe, ya have to believe me." I dared not even give her the satisfaction of glaring in her direction, and shook her hand off my wrist.

With a sigh, she rose with the dishes, and dropped them off to be cleaned, before following me back to the elevator to return to Rock's room. I could feel her following close behind, but not a word was spoken as we descended and walked out into the halls of the exorcist ward. When we reached the door to Rock's room, I turned to face her. "Shura. I get it. But still, you kept her from me all this time. You knew how much she meant to me more than anyone and you just disregarded that entirely." I opened the door and sighed, walking into the room, ready to go back to sitting by the sleeping otherself's side, but there was one issue. When I looked through the glass to the hospital bed, it was empty.

Black Rock Shooter was gone.

* * *

 **Dun dun dun!**

 **Surprise! Two chapters in one day?! Woah! I hope this works as some kind of apology for not posting last week and missing Monday's upload for this week!**

 **Sorry that this chapter leaves on a big cliff hanger, but all will be revealed soon!**

 **This was a really fun chapter to write and I'm happy with how it came out!**

 **I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you stick around to find out what happens next.**

 **Feedback is always appreciated (reviews are a big motivation for me to write-), and thank you for reading Comatose Chapter 9!**

 **~Blondie**


	10. Chapter 10

Present time: Rin

Reaching my arm out the door, I grabbed a lapel on Shura's jacket and pulled her into the room, whipping her to the side against the wall. " _Where is she_?!" Shura's eyes widened and focused on me, before she glanced over to the empty hospital bed. Once her gaze returned to me I moved closer, baring my teeth. "Shura you better tell me what the _hell_ is going on here before I knock you into next year." I could feel the malice in my words, rage being the only emotion I could process at the moment. "R-Rin- I swear, I have no idea where she is! I had nothing to do with this!"

"Do with what? Lure me away so that those high and mighty exorcists could take her away without me knowing?!"

"N-No! I'm just as confused as you are!" I released my grip from her jacket, shoving her further against the wall. Fumbling in my pocket, I retrieved the key to the glass door and slid it open, rushing to the bed side for any clues of what happened, but I found nothing. The bed had been left with the blankets folded over, but not in a mess, nor re-made nicely. All the machines BRS had been hooked up to remained in the room, wires hanging down and resting on the blankets.

"Well, whoever did take her surely didn't take their time." Shura piped up, now walking towards the glass wall. "The machines are still on. Someone did this to get her out as soon as possible." She was right, but what was only stranger was the fact that security was doing nothing about Rock's disappearance, which meant that it had to be someone with control over the situation. "Yukio…" I mumbled under my breath. "What?"

"It had to be Yukio, Shura."

"Ya think he would do this?"

"I don't trust any of you right now, but he's my prime candidate. You were with me so it couldn't be you who took her, though I'm still suspicious that you might know something." I stood from the bed and walked out past the divider, not caring to lock the door behind me. "Come on, Shura. You aren't leaving my sight."

"Where are ya going?"

"The dorms. Yukio should be studying material right now. I haven't spoken to him since you two…" I grumbled, and walked out the door, not caring to finish my sentence.

Once both Shura and I reached the abandoned boy's dormitory, I stormed in and rushed to the room Yukio and I shared, slamming the door open. "Yukio! Yukio you better be here you son of a bitch-"

"It's been a while since you've talked to me, so I'd prefer if you'd keep your profanity to a minimum, Rin." Yukio's voice rang out from the room, as he emerged with a stack of books in hand. "I'm busy so if you could get your temper tantrum over with, I'd appreciate that."

"Where the _hell_ is Rock, Yukio?" He jolted backwards, his eyes in shock, before he adjusted his glasses and regained his composure. "I believe you already learned that her consciousness is in the otherworld-"

"No. Her body. _Where is it_?" His eyes returned to a shocked expression, and he placed his stack of books down on a nearby table, and removed his ring of keys from his pocket. After shuffling through them for a second, he held one key in his hand, and turned it in the dorm door's lock. When the door opened, the all too familiar scene of Rock's hospital room lay before the three of us, and Yukio rushed in and past the divider, shuffling through the bed. "The Order had no plans of removing her, so unless they decided that I couldn't handle the situation, the only other conclusion is that she's awake, and she's somehow escaped."

* * *

Four Months Ago: Rin

With the official "OK" from the Order, Shura and I had been given permission to retrieve Rock from her cell, and continue her training. Side by side, we walked through the cold prison halls, passing by seemingly endless sealed rooms, before we finally came to a halt in front of a door identical to all the others. Slowly, Shura approached the large steel door, and ripped a paper seal off of it. Slowly, the door began to swing open.

At first, there was no sign of the otherself in the pitch black room, but as light continued to pour into the cell, I could make out her form sitting at the back of the room. Her eyes glowed in anger in the darkness. But before I could call out to her, a flicker of blue arose from the back of the room, and began to grow, before it dissipated into the air. "Rin?"

"Yeah, Rock, it's me!" Her eyes calmed and I could hear shuffling, before light completely lit the room and revealed the she had begun to rise from the floor and hastily move towards the door. Stepping through, I began to run towards her, and pulled her into my arms as we collided. "I'm so glad you're okay…" I whispered into her hair as I nuzzled my nose against the top of her head. My heart jumped at the sound of a giggle escaping her lips, and I held her closer. I cared not that otherselves were a form of demon, as Rock was more of an angel than anything.

Shura' shoes clicked with every step as she walked into the cell, extending a hand towards Rock. "Good to have to back, Shooter." Rather than releasing from my arms and shaking Shura's hand, the navy haired girl sprung from my embrace to hug Shura, the bustier woman returning the sudden action with an awkward one-armed hug and a smile on her face. "Let's get ya out of here, okay?" Rock released from the hug and nodded, taking my hand in her own before following Shura out of the dark room and out into the hall.

On the way back to Shura's office, I caught Rock staring at me every once and a while. She would have her eyes intently staring at the back of my head before she noticed my staring and looked away. I chose not to say anything, as the air was already tense. Once we arrived back at the ever-familiar office of Shura Kirigakure, the three of us took our usual seats and sat in silence.

"Shooter," Shura said, breaking the silence. "Mephisto has convinced the Order to allow ya to continue to train, and as ya know, Okumura over here has been allowed to join." Rock's eyes lit up and she smiled as she turned her gaze to meet mine. I smiled in return. "But I won't allow ya to fight with him. The two of ya are going to work on _emotional_ control, as that seems to be the root of why yer losing control of your flames." The twin-tailed girl nodded, before squeezing my hand with her own. I was slightly surprised, but assumed that she had picked it up from me and the many times I had done the same for her. "Hey, Rin?" Rock said, smiling. "Could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could we go out again sometime soon?" My body stiffened as I glanced over at Shura, praying that she didn't hear. "R-Rock I don't know if we should talk about that right now-"

"It's fine, Okumura," Shura interrupted. "Shooter told me everything a while ago."

"You're not mad?"

"Ya thought that when I left you two alone for hours that I assumed ya were gonna stay there the whole time?" I shrugged and turned back to Rock. "If Shura's okay with it, then yeah. I'd really like that, Rock." Her smile widened, her eyes sparkling like sapphires as her happiness grew. "I only ask that ya don't get caught. Other than that, it's fine by me."

"And if we do get caught, I can always use the excuse that I was testing to see how well she reacted around people. You know, to see how well our training is going." I winked and chuckled. Shura shook her head and smirked before looking back down at papers on her desk. "Yeah, okay." I squeezed Rock's hand and smiled at her, standing from my chair. "Come on then. Let's go!"

* * *

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

Samael… Mephisto… sat behind his desk, elbows rested against the table top, and his chin resting on his hands, all while smirking and staring at me as I sat before him. "So… Do you feel any different, Miss Shooter?" I looked down at my now corporeal arm and shook my head. "Not… really…" I choked out. It was difficult to form words, as in the otherworld no one used their mouths to speak. It was all through the mind. "Give it time then, my dear. Since you've experienced emotions and such before I can only assume that they should return to you much sooner than before." I shifted in the chair in front of him, the air in the room was heavy and as Mephisto stared me down with his unsettling grin.

* * *

Less than an hour ago, Mephisto guided me out of the otherworld through a strange gateway, and I left Black Gold Saw behind. Before I had left, she had warned me to be cautious is Assiah, as we as otherselves were not meant to live in such a world. There seemed to be genuine concern in her words, which only made me more uneasy as I passed through the portal into the human world.

Instead of vanishing from existence as I thought I would, my eyes shot open to view white, and the sound of beeping resonating from behind me. I was laying on my back, covered in sheets. "Welcome back, Miss Shooter~," Mephisto's voice rang out. "We haven't much time before someone takes notice of your sudden change, so you best get up as soon as possible."

After I woke, I slowly sat up and swung my legs over the side of a bed as I attempted to learn my surroundings. The room was white, and a panel of glass separated me from the rest of the room. Standing in a gap within the glass wall was Mephisto, grinning with his arm outstretched towards a second door, one that I could only assume led out. As I stood, I discovered I was not wearing my usual black attire, but a mint green paper robe, and my hair had shortened significantly, only reaching my shoulders at the farthest point of my uneven twintails. "Wha-…" I choked out, struggling to form words. "Rest your voice for now, you can redevelop it later." The purple haired man said, reaching out and grabbing my wrist to lead me away.

Once he inserted a fancy key into the door, he revealed it to lead to an equally fancy and extravagant room. "You can rest in my office until you've regained what you've lost," he said, heading to a closet. "In the meantime, I suggest you change out of that robe into something more comfortable until I can recover your belongings." His arm left my wrist, and reached into the closet, pulling out a silky looking robe, before handing it to me, and leading me to a separate room off to the side. "Take your time getting used to this world, alright? We don't need another _incident_ ," he said, smirking and closing the door, leaving me alone in the separate room.

The room was small and dark, possibly another closet, but it was empty and led nowhere. I shrugged, not caring to figure out the room's purpose, and dropped the paper robe, slowly putting on the silky one in its place. As I did, I traced along a scar that had formed on my back, and while it didn't hurt, it surely wasn't there before. If there was some _incident_ when I had last been in Assiah, this was most likely a product of such. I stayed in that room until a knock came from the door, which slowly swung open, revealing the man that had brought me back to this world.

* * *

I continued to shift in the chair, glancing side to side, uneasy. "Are you sure you aren't experiencing anything yet, Shooter? Surely something has returned to your memory?" I shook my head no, and continued to observe the room and the man in front of me. His smirk fell to a stoic expression, before he sighed heavily. "This is taking longer than I expected it would. Why don't you try something to remind yourself- Yes! Why don't you try summoning your weapons? You were unable to do so before in the otherworld, correct?" I nodded, standing from the chair and walking to the center of the room.

After taking a deep breath, I concentrated all my energy to my weapons, and sure enough, my rock cannon materialized in a blue glow, before extending off my arm. "Bravo, Miss Shooter!" Mephisto called out, smirking and clapping slowly. I set the cannon upright before extending my left arm, and summoned my black blade. His clapping continued as I looked down at the sword, my right arm releasing the cannon and resting underneath the blade of the sword. It had been roughed up, scratch marks lining the sides of the sword. "Me…phisto?" I choked out, turning my head to face the man giving my performance a round of applause. "What… What was the _incident_?" He smirked before wagging his finger and shaking his head. "I'm afraid you'll have to remember that for yourself, dear."

Most of my questions were given answers similar to that, Mephisto refusing to rush my process of readjustment to this world. Most, but not all of my questions. His interest peaked after I inquired about one specific person. "Okumura Rin. Can I see him?" His smirk widened to a grin, before he stood from his chair. "I don't see the harm in that." He said, extending his hand towards me. I dematerialized both of my weapons, and accepted his hand with my own, as he lead me to the small room, and left the door open just a crack. "Wait here, and whatever you do, do not leave this room, and do not make any noise." I nodded, and stood in wait as I heard the main door click open before closing shut.

* * *

 **Woohoo! We've reached chapter 10! Considering how I didn't get past chapter 5 in the original, I'm really proud of me! Even though BRS maybe be awake, the story isn't over yet! Will Rock remember what happened during her time in the human world? Will Rin finally get to see Rock again? What is this _incident_? All will be revealed soon! **

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter of Comatose! I'm back to my Monday schedule, and will hopefully be able to keep it this time!**

 **Feedback is always appreciated, and thank you for reading chapter 10 of Comatose!**

 **~Blondie**


	11. Chapter 11

Present Time: Rin

"Yukio!" I called out, grabbing my brother's arm. "I know you probably want to go straight to the Order about this but please don't! Give me a chance to find her first!"

"Yeah, at least for a short while," Shura chimed in. "Besides, imagine how the Order would react if they found out ya lost her?" Yukio grit his teeth before he sighed heavily and adjusted his glasses. "Fine. But if we find nothing, I'm reporting this." In a burst of relief, I almost pulled him into a hug, but stopped myself before I did. I wasn't ready to forgive him, and this was no time to be celebrating. While Rock may have woken up, she was still missing. "I'll handle town, you guys handle the offices and the headquarters," I said, receiving a nod from the two.

Yukio and Shura were the first out the door, each using a key to get to their designated area, but as I opened the door to leave, I was greeted with the familiar face of Mephisto.

"Ah, Okumura! I had a feeling you would be here!"

"I really don't have the time right now Mephisto, I have to-"

"Find Miss Shooter? Well, that just so happens to be what I want to speak with you about. If you wouldn't mind following me to my office," he said, closing the hospital door before opening it once more with a key of his own.

"How did you-"

"Oh, Okumura, I'm surprised you didn't guess in the first place! The second they noticed her room was empty, they notified me so that I could handle the situation."

"And how long ago was that?" He pushed a finger to my lips, silencing my questions, before he motioned with his other hand to the room beyond the doorway.

"Let us speak somewhere more… private, shall we?"

* * *

Four Months Ago: Rin

Once Rock and I left Shura's office, we immediately headed for the cafeteria and outdoor food vendors. Before we could do anything that could be considered "emotional training", I needed to eat.

"You sure you don't want anything?" I said, attempting to hand Rock half of the sandwich I had just bought. "I've told you, Rin. Otherselves do not need to eat." I shrugged before biting into the sandwich.

"If you say so." After swallowing, I turned my attention back to the blue eyed otherself who sat next to me. "So, I was thinking since you had a pretty good handle on things back in town, we could try going to Mephy Land?"

"Mephy… Land?"

"Yeah, it's an amusement park."

"Amusement… park?" Realizing she truly didn't understand, I quickly scarfed down the last of my sandwich, and grabbed her hand, pulling her up from the bench we sat on. "Maybe it's better if I just show you."

Shortly after, we arrived at the most colorful place in all of True Cross Town, Mephisto's personal theme park, Mephy Land. It didn't take long for us to make our way through the park, Rock chasing after every sound of screams and excitement to learn and understand this place. But despite her curiosity, each time a person walked close to her, she would tense up, and freeze as she clung closer and closer to my side. I was tempted to ask if she was okay, but every time I began to, she moved away and kept on walking through the crowds.

It wasn't long before we reached the tallest structure in the park, the "Go To Hell" roller coaster. Rock stopped and turned, before pointing up at the ride. "What is this?"

"It's a roller coaster. You ride them for fun, or for a thrill." Rock tuned back to face the ride, and tilted her head. "If it is for fun, why are they screaming?"

"Roller coasters can be scary for some people, but most people scream because of the adrenaline rush they get."

"Can we ride it?" She asked, turning back to face me. Her eyes twinkled in excitement, before she grabbed my hand with her own. "I mean… I don't see why not?" The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile before she began to drag me in the direction of the entrance, where so many others stood waiting.

The line was one of the longer ones in the park, and it took us quite some time to even see the loading station for the ride, but Rock didn't seem to care. She was almost giddy, bouncing up and down slightly like a child. Inch by inch we moved forward with every unloading and loading of the ride's cars, until we reached the metal gates. "We're next, Rock. You ready?" The otherself smiled and nodded.

It didn't take long for the next car to pull into the loading station, and as the previous guests emptied out, the metal gates opened, allowing us access to the ride. "Need any help, Rock?" I asked, reaching over to pull down her shoulder restraint, before she pulled it down and strapped herself all on her own. "I was watching to learn how to do it, but thank you, Rin," she said with a smile. That warm feeling rose to my cheeks as I watched the corners of her lips rise, before I slid down into my seat and pulled down my own restraints, and prepared myself for the ride. Soon after the attendants checked each seat, the car slowly pulled out of the station, and began its ascent.

Once we pulled back into the station, many people were cheering and clapping, their adrenaline pumping from the speed and exhilaration they had just experienced, but Rock remained silent. I was almost breathless from shouting excitedly during the ride, as well as the excitement. Yet the dark haired girl next to me said nothing, and made no expression. "Hey, you okay, Rock?" I said, placing my hand on her leg. She blinked and her eyes darted around, almost breaking her from the trance like state she was in. "Yes, I'm fine, Rin."

"You sure?" She nodded. The restraints loosened and rose off from our shoulders, and as everyone began to exit, so did we. But for some reason, Rock began to walk off ahead, becoming lost in the crowd, and no matter how much I called her name or pushed through the crowd, she didn't stop walking. Once finally out of the ride's area, I spotted her, staring up into the sky, as people walked around her and stared suspiciously at the girl watching the clouds. "Rock!" I said, grabbing her hand. "Don't go off like that, you worried me!" Her gaze fell from the sky as she looked back at the roller coaster's structure. "Sorry… Rin." We stayed in silence for a short while, receiving odd glares from the people around us, but we eventually began to walk again. "So, what'd you think?"

"It felt like…" she paused, searching for the words as her grasp on my hand tightened. "It felt like when I killed someone. I could see myself fighting the many otherselves in battle, having to remain calm or else I would die. It felt like what I had to suppress to survive." Her grip remained strong, and only tightened as she looked at her feet. It was only then that I noticed she was shaking. "Rin…? Can we… can we go back? I don't want to be here anymore." I nodded, trying to put my shock aside to help her, as I guided her back to the entrance of the park, holding her close at my side.

After exiting, I led her back to the dorms, and let her sit on the bed to rest. "You okay now, Rock?" She nodded silently as I sat down next to her, giving her enough space to relax. Slowly, she moved closer, eventually resting her head on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to ruin our outing."

"It's okay, Rock. You weren't comfortable so I'm glad you told me. I wouldn't have wanted you to be upset the whole time." She nodded once more, her head rubbing against my shoulder, before she sat back upright and locked eyes with mine. "Are you sure, Rin?" I smiled. "Of course it is." Her worried expression slowly changed to a happier one, as she smiled back, and giggled softly.

We both sat there, staring at each other for what seemed to be the longest time, until I found my eyes tracing her face, ending at her soft, delicate lips. Before I knew it, I had begun to lean, my eyes fluttering shut, until I locked her lips with my own. And then I stopped. I pulled back, my face burning as if it was on fire, and I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Oh god, Rock, I'm so sorry!" Her hand rose from her side, as she gently traced her fingertips against her lips.

"Rin…" she said, drawing my attention back to her. "What… what was that?" I could feel the blush burn on my cheeks as I turned to face her and cleared my throat. "That was uh… It was a kiss…" I said, my voice trailing off at the end. She stared at her fingertips that had just been tracing her lips before whispering, "A… kiss…" Shortly after, her attention turned to me, and she leaned forward, her hands resting on the bed to support her. "Do it again."

* * *

Present Time: Rin

As much as I wanted an immediate answer from the director of True Cross Academy, I followed him through the door and into his office. "Please, sit," Mephisto said, motioning to a chair in front of his desk. Cautiously, I sat, waiting for him to take a seat of his own. "Mephisto, I'm growing more impatient by the second. What do you know about where Rock went?!" I shouted, but all I received in response was a wagging finger in my face. He took a minute to adjust in his chair, and placed his ridiculous hat on the desk. "Now, I never said I knew where she went. I merely wanted to ask you of the different places you brought her. She might be walking around in territory that is familiar to her, no?"

"That's it?"

"That's it." I huffed and slumped back into the chair. Not even Mephisto had answers, which only frustrated me further. "Well, there was the shopping district, Mephy Land, Shura's office, my dorm, I can't really think of anywhere else." A smirk rose to Mephisto's face. "Your dorm room, you say? My my Okumura, what on earth were you doing with that poor girl-"

"It's not like that!" My cheeks began to burn in anger and slight embarrassment. The demon exorcist before me laughed, before picking up his hat and standing from his desk. "If you say so, Rin. Now, I do think it is time we searched these familiar areas to her, yes?"

"It's not like I was heading off to do that before you dragged me here."

"Excellent." He said, placing his head back on his head, and walking over to the door, opening it to reveal the halls of True Cross Academy. "Good luck, Okumura."

* * *

 **Hello everyone!~  
That's right, I'm back! Hopefully to stay this time! I have rewritten almost every chapter and have saved it to multiple places so that I never lose this again! I hope you guys liked this chapter, because it was really tough for me to write for some reason. This one has much more 'fluff' in it than previous chapters(I think), so I hope you all enjoyed! Expect more of Comatose real soon guys, and thanks for sticking with me!**

 **As usual, feedback is always appreciated, and thank you for reading Comatose!**

 **~Blondie**


	12. Chapter 12

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

"Mephisto, I'm growing more impatient by the second. What do you know about where Rock went?!"

A voice echoed throughout the office, making its way to the closet in which I hid. The voice wasn't familiar, but it wasn't new to me. "Okumura?" I whispered under my breath before attempting to see the voice's owner through the crack between the door and the doorframe, but all I could see was Mephisto, smirking, as he stared at something just past his desk.

"Now, I never said I knew where she went. I merely wanted to ask you of the different places you brought her. She might be walking around in territory that is familiar to her, no?" He said, his smirk never once fading from his face. Slowly, it all clicked into place in my mind. While it was best I not talk with who I assumed was Okumura Rin, it was possible to use him to return my memories if he truly did know me as well as I was told. I carefully adjusted my position in attempt to get a better look at the voice's owner, but his face was just out of sight.

"Well, there was the shopping district, Mephy Land, Shura's office, my dorm, I can't really think of anywhere else." My breathing came to a halt. I knew those words. Mephy Land, Shura… dorm… I knew them all. My hearing had tuned out while I tried to process why I knew these places, but my eyes never once left the view of Mephisto's desk. And then the figured moved. He sat upright abruptly, his face finally coming into view.

His dark navy hair, his pointed ears and teeth, and his striking blue eyes all revealed themselves to me. The second I saw just who Okumura Rin was, a pain ripped through my chest, causing me to almost collapse, the wall being my only support. It was a feeling unlike anything I had experienced in the otherworld, but it too wasn't unfamiliar to me.

And then he was gone. He stood from his chair, and walked out of the room. I began to step from behind the door, almost in a trance, only wanting to keep watching him, trying to remember him. I would have continued, if not for Mephisto blocking the door, waving a finger in my direction. "Now Miss Shooter, I don't believe that's a very good idea." His hand found its way to my back, guiding me along back to the chair that Rin had been previously sitting in. "For him to see you now would be terrible for your situation. Since you don't even remember him it may completely ruin all that you had before you were whisked back to the otherworld." I nodded my head in understanding, and sat down in the chair.

"But, I do remember him." Mephisto's eyes lit up as he took his seat behind his desk once more. "Do you now?" I nodded. "I need to see him again."

* * *

Four Months Ago: Rin

"Wh…What?" She moved closer, her face beginning to lean towards mine. "Do it…" Her breath grazed my bottom lip as she moved closer, our lips less than an inch apart. "Again…" With that she closed the gap, sealing her lips with my own. At first I was shocked, my body frozen in the moment, but it didn't take long before I melted into it, and wrapped my arms around her, pulling the raven haired otherself into my embrace.

Even though it was short, it was sweet, causing my heart to pound, and my mind to wash away. When she looked me in the eyes and smiled, I could feel my heart beating against my chest. But I had to let my mind take control, as my heart was running wild, and started to come to my senses. "R-Rock, you don't know what you're doing-" I said, trying to avert my gaze from her eyes. "You're still new to emotions and-"

"And I know that I like this one." She said, starting to go in for another kiss. "R-Rock wait!" Her eyes opened, and she tilted her head with a slightly sorrowful look. "Did I… Did I do something wrong, Rin?"

"No, no! Well, maybe, but it's-… It's complicated, Rock." Releasing her from my arms, I leaned back on the bed, and took a deep breath to try and clear my thoughts. "Rock, you have to understand what's going on. Yukio, Shura, the Order… They all don't think we should be…" I paused to sit up, and cupped her hand between mine. "They don't think we should be _this_ close."

"We're… too close?" With every emotion that I saw her express, it became harder to remember that she really was from a different world, and that she knew nothing of human ways. "Yeah well… Usually you only kiss those that you really like… Those that you love."

"But I do love you, Rin."

"Rock, I…" Words were becoming harder and harder to find, my mind losing the battle against my feelings. I wanted so badly to throw my arms back around her and keep her in my embrace without a care, but the consequences could do severe damage, and I wasn't sure I was willing to take the risk.

"I don't know why, Rin, but every time I see you, I'm happy. Usually all I feel is anger towards others as they end up trying to hurt me, but when I'm with you I can feel so much more. I don't care what happens to me when I'm with you."

"Rock, please-"

"Tell me, Rin. Would I have felt so happy with your 'kiss' if I didn't love you?" With those final words, I threw all caution to the wind and grabbed her chin, pulling her face towards mine for yet another kiss. This time, she too pulled me closer, dragging me down onto the bed with her. When we finally pulled apart, I stared into her beautiful blue eyes, and smiled. "I really do love you." I whispered, before I leaned in once again and said, "I love you, Black Rock Shooter."

"You, what?" A new voice rang from just outside the room, stopping me from sealing my declaration with one final kiss, and causing the both of us to turn to the speaker, whose voice I knew all too well.

Yukio stood in the doorway, eyes wide with shock and anger. "Yukio?! What are you doing here?!" I said, standing from the bed, Rock clinging to my arm. I stepped forward to approach him, but within seconds he had grabbed his gun, and pointed it directly at my face. "Not another step," he said, shifting his aim to the otherself who had begun to hide behind my back. "What do you think you're doing, Rin?! Becoming intimate with a demon?!"

"It's not like that Yukio!"

"Not from where I'm standing. Hand her over, right now. I knew this was a terrible idea from the start, I should have never let you become a part of this." I looked back over my shoulder at Rock, expecting her to be afraid, but instead her eyes raged with fury. "Rock?"

"Rin! Give her to me. _Now_."

"Rock, are you okay?" But she remained silent. Slowly, a blue light began to encompass her right arm, before in a flash of light her cannon appeared before us. "Rin! Get out of the way!" Yukio shouted, but it was too late. Rock had whipped her cannon around from behind and swung it at Yukio, knocking him backwards and out of the doorway. "Rock!" I shouted, but before I could say anything else, she grabbed my arm and rushed from the room with me in tow, running out of the dorm room.

The sound of gunfire rang out from behind us, and with a short glance back, I watched as Yukio reloaded his gun, and pointed it at the two of us. "Yukio, no!" I called back, but he had already taken the shot, the bullet pierced through Rock's shoulder. Despite her wound, she did not falter, and continued her escape without ever once letting go.

We ran directly to the forest behind the academy, never once looking back or speaking a word. Every minor demon we encountered was destroyed by Rock's sword before it even had a chance to fight back, and we continued into the heart of the forest. Eventually, we reached a small clearing, and it was only then that Rock released her grip on my arm. I sat on a nearby rock that barely jutted out from under the ground, and held my head in my hands. "Rock, I-… God I just-…" but even as I stumbled out words, I couldn't form my thoughts and feelings into anything coherent.

The sound of her feet on the grass slowly got louder as she approached, her cannon now gone. Without a word, she placed her hands on top of those on my face, before they wrapped around my head to my neck, giving me a slight hug. "We should keep moving," she whispered in my ear, standing upright once more, but I grabbed her hands as they slid off my shoulders. "Rock… We can't."

"What?" Her voice shook ever so slightly as she stared me down, her arms relaxing. "If we run away, we would be in so much more trouble if they found us."

"But won't they hurt us if we don't run?" I stood from the rock, and held her hands tightly. "We'll probably be in trouble no matter what, but if we go back, we may not be punished as much." I kept saying 'we', when I knew that it was her who would take most of the punishment. I could hear Shura shouting at me for becoming so close with Rock, but I could also envision Rock being tormented as punishment, becoming just like any other demon in the minds of the Order.

"I… I understand, Rin."

"Good. I promise, Rock, I promise I won't let them hurt you." Her hands released from mine, and wrapped around my back, pulling me into another hug, one I gladly returned. But I knew it wouldn't last long. The sound of crunching leaves was getting closer, causing me to hold her tighter, burying my head into her neck. "I'm sorry, Rock." I whispered, as the sound of guns cocking echoed from all around us.

"Okumura Rin. You will release the otherself at this moment, or you shall face far greater punishment." The voice of Arthur Angel called out from behind us, but I remained still. "It's going to be okay, Rock." I whispered. "Rin. Please just let her go."

"Shu…ra?" Rock's head lifted from my shoulder, looking to the source of the voice behind me, Shura. "I'm sorry, Shooter."

* * *

Present Time: Black Rock Shooter

"Now, if you're going to see him, you can't be looking like that, Miss Shooter!" Mephisto said, dashing into the closet I had been hiding in. After a couple minutes, he came almost twirling out, with a set of clothes draped over his arm. "Tada! One inconspicuous True Cross Academy uniform. You should blend completely in." He handed over the uniform and shooed me back into the closet.

Dropping the silk robe once back inside the small room, I traced my hand along the scar on my back again, twitching slightly, before putting on the uniform. After stepping out, Mephisto clasped his hands together and smiled, before reaching out and adjusting the large bow at my neck. "Absolutely wonderful!" He exclaimed. I tugged down the skirt slightly, missing the shorts I was accustomed to. The demon headmaster reached up behind my head, releasing the uneven twin tails and attempting to tame the mess of hair. "Now all that's left to deal with is your eyes…" Mephisto turned back to his desk, beginning to dig through the top drawer, before his eyes lit up, and he dramatically pulled something out. "Tada! One pair of sunglasses to keep anyone from noticing those beautiful eyes of yours." He opened the case they resided in and opened both arms at once, before placing them on my face. "Come now, Miss Shooter!" Mephisto trilled, taking my hand and leading me out of his office. "We have a young exorcist to follow!"

* * *

 **Hey everyone! No, I didn't give up on this again, I've just become insanely busy with getting ready for college. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Comatose!**

 **Per usual, feedback is always appreciated.**

 **Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter of Comatose, and see you next chapter!  
**

 **~Blondie**


	13. Chapter 13

Present time: Rin

Marching out of Mephisto's office, I started to head back to my original destination of True Cross Town. Walking through the empty halls of the academy was strange. The only people that were in the building during the summer were teachers trying to get work done, and the occasional janitor there to clean, which made it seems all the odder that I was there. But these thoughts quickly passed, as I set my mind back on the goal of finding my Black Rock Shooter.

After exiting, I headed straight into town, and began my search. While there weren't many places we had gone to while she was awake, Rock seemed to have mixed emotions about the town. Taking one look at the mass of people, I knew she wouldn't be there. "With the way she reacted to huge crowds," I mumbled to myself, "I highly doubt that she'd even attempt to walk through this mess." I did a quick glance around the people I could see, before I turned on my heel and began to leave. But I was stopped.

"Rin!" A soft voice called out from the crowd. I glanced over my shoulder in confusion, until I saw a familiar face shoving her way through the crowd. Blonde hair and green eyes shuffled between the mass of people, while her hand raised above the crowd, trying to grab my attention. "Shiemi!" I shouted, turning back to the mass of people and running over to her. "What're you doing here?" I said, pulling her off to the side of the crowded path. "Shura told me that Black Rock Shooter woke up. I'm here to help look for her! She told me you were in the town and that you might need help."

"She did?" Shiemi nodded, her short blonde hair bouncing softly. "After Black Rock Shooter saved me all that time ago, I've wanted to repay her. Now's my chance to help her just as she did for me!" She smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That's… Thank you, Shiemi." I said, smiling back at her. "I didn't realize you knew about Rock's whole… incident." She smiled and held her head low, shaking her head. "I don't really. All I know is that something bad happened to her, but that's all I was told. But I really do want to help her, Rin!"

* * *

Four Months Ago: Rin

"Just hand her over, Rin. I won't let anything bad happen to her." Shura called out. I turned to the side, still holding Rock, to glance over at the exorcist I had assumed was on my side. She stood in front of the rest of the exorcists, her arms outstretched, and her eyes filled with sadness. "We're not gonna kill her, Rin." She said, raising her arms slightly higher. Rock's grip slowly loosened, before her arms fell to her side. "Let me go, Rin." She whispered, her head hung low. "What?"

"If I fight it'll only be worse, right? So if you let me go then you won't get hurt."

"Rock, I can't… I just can't hand you over. We'll go together, okay? She shook her head side to side, never once making eye contact. "No." With that simple word she lifted my arms from around her and stepped away. She removed the hoodie I had given to her what seemed to be forever ago, handing it over to me. "Stay safe, Okumura Rin."

"Rock, wait!" But my words came too late. She began to walk towards Shura, the exorcists surrounding us raising their weapons, before one of them threw a holy water grenade, hitting Rock square in the back. In an instant, the mist from the bomb surrounded her as the water released. Her scream pierced my ears, causing me to wince slightly, before all went silent once more. "Rock!" I shouted, and began to run to her, but was held back by two exorcists. When the mist cleared, Black Rock Shooter lay in the arms of the paladin, Arthur Angel, as he carried her unconscious body away, Shura following close behind. All I could do was watch as they carried away the otherself I promised to protect, while tears began to well up in my eyes. Through the trees they all disappeared, leaving only the two exorcists that held me back and myself. Not one of us said a word.

A week passed after Black Rock Shooter was taken away. After she had been properly contained, I was finally led to the True Cross Japanese Branch headquarters by the two exorcists I was left with, where both Yukio and Shura waited in Mephisto's office. Both barraged me with questions as the reprimanded me for my actions, but I couldn't pay attention to any of their words. All I could think about was Rock's face before she walked away: a gentle smile, while her eyes shone with both sadness and anger. I couldn't understand why she didn't want my help, why she didn't want me to stay with her. Was she trying to protect me? Was she trying to protect herself? She was so hard to read in that moment, and all the stress had prevented any coherent thoughts at the time. All I was left with was confusion and worry.

Eventually, I knew I had to respond to the two higher class exorcists before me. They both were staring at me intensely, waiting for some kind of answer after all their frustrations. "Are you okay, Yukio?" He seemed a little shocked, almost jolting backwards, but his eyebrows remained knitted in anger. "That's it? That's all you have to say?" I shrugged. "You are my brother after all. Aren't I supposed to worry?" Yukio sighed heavily, before finally relaxing. "I'm… I'm fine, Rin. Just a couple bruises, that's all." I nodded, before I, myself sighed. "Don't think ya can just distract from what's going on, Rin." Shura said, stepping forward. "We warned you that something like this could happen. Now Shooter's payin the price for what you've done."

"I'm sorry." I said, my voice losing all emotion. "Sorry ain't gonna help, Rin. Mephisto's out with the Grigori, fighting for her life, and all ya can say is sorry? We told ya she would go over the edge if her deepest emotions were explored!"

"She was only defending herself! Yukio held a gun to her! What did you expect would happen, she would just let herself get shot?!" I said, raising my voice. "She's from a world where she's constantly threatened by enemies and the second she lets herself relax she's immediately threatened once more! What was she supposed to do?"

"So, you're saying it's my fault, Rin?!" Yukio yelled, all his calm collected nature fading away. "I'm just saying that she shouldn't have to constantly be worried about someone trying to hurt her! That she should be allowed to live her life without fear!"

"Then maybe she shouldn't have attacked her human counterpart and gotten herself into this mess!" Yukio shouted, a small spark of blue flame surrounding him before dissipating. Then we all fell silent. We all just stared at each other, sending angered, disappointed glances, waiting for someone to break the silence.

Sure enough, the quiet was eventually ended by the sing song voice of Mephisto Pheles as he walked into his office. "Well hello there my exorcists! ~" He said, closing the door behind him. "Sorry you had to wait so long but I felt that I needed to make the strongest case I could for our dearest Shooter."

"So she's going to be released?"

"Oh no, no. She's going to be imprisoned for at least another month before they even decide if they want to dispose of her or not." He said, a smirk plastered on his face. "It seems that in the meantime we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out, yes?" Shura sighed, before heading out the door and waving slightly in goodbye. Yukio stood, watching both Mephisto and myself, before her too started to walk out the door, before stopping in the doorway. "I'll see you back at the dorms, Rin," he said, walking out, shutting the door behind him.

Only Mephisto and myself remained in silence, as he sat behind his desk and stared. "Do you need, anything, Okumura Rin?" He said, raising an eyebrow as I stood in the same place from when I walked in. "No, no… I'll just go back now. Sorry."

"Actually, I have something for you. Come over here, if you wouldn't mind." He said, his smirk never once leaving his face. Cautiously, I headed over to his desk and stopped a foot before it. Mephisto reached down into his jacket pocket, and swiftly pulled something out with a flick of his wrist. "I believe you may have some interest in this information he said, handing over what he now revealed to be a small paper card. Examining it, it read only one word and a few numbers. "Cell 018?" I mumbled to myself. "Is this… Is this where she's being held?" I asked, turning my gaze back to the demon exorcist, but he gave no reaction. "Why would you give me this?" He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knee. "Why wouldn't I? Who am I to stop young love?"

* * *

Present Time: Rin

"So where should we look first?" Shiemi said, smiling. "Well, for starters, I highly doubt she'd be here. It's _way_ too crowded for her." Shiemi nodded, intently listening. "The only other places she'd go would be Shura's office, but she's checking there, Mephy Land, but that's also really crowded, or…" My voice trailed off as I looked back in the direction of the school. "Rin?" Shiemi said, breaking me from my thoughts. "Right, sorry! She might be in the forest!" I partially lied. It was mainly just a distraction from having to tell Shemi that I brought Rock back to the dorms.

"The forest? But isn't that filled with demons?"

"Well, I saw her and Shura train out there once, so I think she might try going there!" Shiemi's smile dropped slightly. I had almost forgotten about the events with Amaimon, and all that she had been through while there. "Hey, uh… You know what? Why don't you go tell Yukio that she might be there. He doesn't know much about her so he might need more help than I do." The blonde nodded, her eyes beginning to twinkle once more. "R-Right! I'll go help Yuki then!" She smiled, before practically skipping away to find Yukio as I waved goodbye. Sighing heavily I looked off towards the school, and started heading in the direction of the dorms. "Come on, Rock," I muttered under my breath. "You've got to be here somewhere."

* * *

 **BAM! Made it for Monday! A good friend of mine recently started to help me with edits, so I'm hoping everything is a little more fine tuned than before!**

 **As always, all feedback is very loved and appreciated**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed chapter 13 of Comatose!**

 **~Blondie**


	14. Chapter 14

Present time: Rin

My travel to the dorms was a short one. I started out by simply walking, trying to not draw attention to myself, but the more I thought about the chance of Rock being there, no matter how slim of a chance that was, the faster I ran until I eventually broke into a sprint. When I arrived at the building I dashed through the doors and headed straight to my dorm, calling out her name. When I arrived, however, it was quiet, just as I had expected.

 _Rin!_ Kuro's voice called out, as the sound of his little feet against the floor grew closer. _Rin, what happened? When you came back before, all I heard was you yelling at Yukio and then you left! Did something go wrong?_ I shook my head. "No, it's not bad, though it's not great either." He jumped up onto a nearby desk, almost bouncing in place. _Tell me, tell me!_ A chuckle escaped my lips as I ran my hand along his back and scratched his head, eliciting a purr from the feline demon. "Well, the good part of it is that Rock… She's finally awake." With those words, Kuro's eyes lit up, and he smiled brightly. _I knew she would, Rin! I told you she would!_ I let out another laugh, and pet him once more. "Yeah, you were right. The only problem is, she's gone missing. We think she woke up and somehow got out of the hospital without anyone noticing."

 _Can I help look, Rin?_ His big cat sith eyes were impossible to ignore, as he smiled even wider. "I was actually thinking you could stay here and keep watch. She might come here since she's been here before." Kuro nodded, before leaping over to the window and sitting right in front of it, intently staring outside. I couldn't help but laugh once more. "Thanks a lot, Kuro. Come find me if you see anything!" With that, I left the dorm, and started heading down the stairs, a new-found smile on my face.

Exiting the building, however, caused my smile to fall slightly. Before me, just outside the abandoned dorm, stood Mephisto. "I thought you said you were going to help look for Rock. Are you just following me?" He laughed and shook his head. "My dear boy why on earth would I be following you?" He said with a chuckle. "I was merely circling the entirety of the campus grounds in the off chance I might run into Miss Shooter wandering around."

"I guess that makes sense." I said, suspiciously eyeing Mephisto. "I'm going to go check with in with Shura and see if she found anything before checking the forest, so if you do find her, make sure you tell me before anyone else. I don't want to risk any consequences of the Order finding out first." The headmaster tipped his hat and bowed slightly as an indication of his understanding. With that final gesture of his, I ran off to find Shura.

* * *

Four Months Ago: Rin

My foot tapped insistently against the floor as I struggled to pay attention during the final class of cram school. My eyes were constantly drawn to the clock, watching as every second ticked down to my chance at seeing Black Rock Shooter again. A week had passed since Mephisto had revealed Rock's location to me, and every day since I had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to break into her cell. Today just happened to be that perfect opportunity. Yukio and many other exorcists of the Japan branch were heading off on a mission this afternoon, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow, opening up a window of time where my chances of success were increased.

When the teacher dismissed class, I quickly shot up out of my chair, and waved a goodbye to all my friends, before dashing out of the room. As I started to head for a door to nowhere though, I was stopped. Exiting a classroom was Yukio, who waved me down and called me over. As much as I wanted to pretend I didn't hear him, I couldn't ignore my own brother. Halting in my tracks, I changed directions and walked over to him. "Ready for your big mission, Yukio?" I said with a smile on my face. He nodded, smiling back. "You'll be alright until tomorrow, right?" He asked, but I waved him off as he finished. "I'll be fine, Yukio. Your big brother can take care of himself!" But my reassuring words didn't seem to ease his concern. "Before either of us leave, Rin, would you mind if we talked about recent events? I know we haven't spoken much about what happened yet, and I just wanted to clear a few things with you. Okay?" My breath caught in my throat as I thought back to Rock's capture, before I gulped and nodded.

The two of us headed back into the now empty classroom that Yukio had exited from, and pulled over chairs to sit at his desk. He wasted no time in getting directly into the conversation. "Shura told me everything." My eyes went wide. "E-…Everything?" He nodded. "And while I'm not happy about what you did, I can understand it."

"You can?" He nodded once more. "It's in your nature to help people, Rin, even if sometimes you conduct said help in a less than desirable manor. And I can see that you just wanted to help Black Rock Shooter, though we all agree you took it a little too far."

"We?"

"Shura, Mephisto, and myself. We've made the decision to keep the reality of your relationship with her out of the business of the Order. They only know that you were strengthening her emotions and let it get out of control. They know nothing of how you explained…" Yukio paused, looking behind me and around the class, seeming to check that we were alone. "How you explained romance to her."

"But Yukio-"

"Rin, everything moved along so incredibly fast, whether you spent as much time with her as you could or not. Allowing her to understand a feeling so strong as attraction was dangerous."

"Yukio-"

"To have an emotion so strong would open up the possibility of stronger emotions as well, such as rage. Do you want what happened to Mato to happen to everyone in Assiah?"

"Yukio!" I shouted, not allowing him to cut me off any further. "I'm not the one who told her what it was to love. She came to me about that. I made sure not to because I wasn't sure if she could handle it, even if she wanted to." Yukio's face went back to being puzzled. "Shura was sure it was you, though." I shook my head in denial, never once breaking eye contact with my twin. "If that's true… Never mind. We can deal with this more when I return."

Yukio stood from his desk and brushed down his coat, before walking out the door by my side. "Rin," Yukio said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I'm really sorry that all this has happened. And I shouldn't have blamed you. Forgive me." Lifting my own arm to roll his hand on my shoulder, I ruffled his hair and chuckled. "It's all good, Yukio. You were just doing your job." His concern finally fell as he gave a small smile, and we walked out of the classroom.

I waved to him as he left through a door to nowhere, and stood there in silence after he was gone. A pit of guilt had grown in my stomach as I watched him leave, as I knew it went against all we had just spoke of. But no matter how quickly the time passed since Black Rock Shooter's arrival, I had to see her again. And so, I left.

Using the key Shura had given me to reach her office, I crept through the halls of the Order of the True Cross Japan branch, making my way down flight after flight of stairs until I reached the lowest level of the prisons. A quick scan of the area showed there to be no visible activity, which made me both uneasy and relieved. Pulling the card Mephisto gave me out of my pocket, I walked down a seemingly endless hall of heavily sealed doors, the numbers slowly counting down from 99. Once the numbers hit 40 I broke into a sprint, keeping my eyes peeled for the cell I was looking for. I almost ran past it, skidding to a stop around 12, before cautiously walking over to the ornate door covered in seals along with a plaque that read "018".

Carefully, I placed my hand against the plaque, and scanned the area once more. I stood in silence, waiting for someone to come running out with a weapon in hand, but not one single exorcist appeared before me. One by one, I began ripping off the seals, glancing over my shoulder to check for anyone with every seal I tore, but still, no one came. Once I pulled off the final seal, my breathing halted. I stood there, staring at the once covered door that now only bore the number of the cell. While the chance to turn back had surely passed, this was the final opportunity to walk away.

But I had come so far. There was no retreating, no giving up. Slowly, I reached for the door handle, and pulled it open.

Immediately, a bright blue light emanated from the cell, casting a glow against the back of the door and along the frame. My arm instinctively covered my eyes to help them adjust to the sudden change in brightness, and cautiously lowered to allow me to look into the cell I was told contained Black Rock Shooter. Blue flames burned all throughout the room, covering the floor and climbing high up the walls and into the air. There were no overhead windows as there had been in the great cell, but with all the fire, there was no need. And there, sat in the center of the hellfire, was the raven haired otherself, completely engulfed in flames.

* * *

Present Day: Black Rock Shooter

With a swift motion of his cape, Mephisto shoved me behind him, before placing a finger to his lips, signaling for quiet. Previously, we had been traveling to one of the locations I had supposedly been to, trailing far behind Rin Okumura. But once he entered a building, we had slowed our pace, and we stood in silence for a short while. At the sound of a door slamming shut, I was tempted to look around Mephisto, but I knew the consequences of being spotted by the human I spent much of my time on Assiah with. "I thought you said you were going to help look for Rock." The familiar voice of Rin reached my ears. He continued to speak with Mephisto, but I couldn't help but zone out and mouth the shortened version of my name over and over.

Once his voice quieted, I watched with a slightly obscured view as he dashed away, ending the second of our close encounters. I went to step out from behind the exorcist who woke me, but he extended his arm, waiting until Rin had completely left our view. Once his arm fell, I stood at his side and looked up into his eyes, slightly angry. "Are we not following him?" He smirked, before extending his arm towards the building Rin had just exited. "I do believe it would be wise to look in there before we continue stalking dear Rin, don't you?" I narrowed my eyes, glancing off in the direction the half demon boy had run, before taking the lead and walking into our hopefully short detour.

The building was empty and quiet. The hallways were bare, and slightly dusty. I could only assume that this place had remained uninhabited for quite some time, or that the inhabitants cared nothing for maintenance. I waited for Mephisto to give some sign to follow him, but he merely stood at the door and watched, motioning for me to go off on my own. Since he had woken me from the otherworld, he had kept me in his sights at all times, minus when I was instructed to hide from view. My suspicions continued to grow as I wandered off into the building, alone, constantly glancing over my shoulder at the demon king.

Almost every room I entered had the same layout, each containing beds and tables, but little else. Many were far dustier than the hallways, confirming my beliefs that the building had no residents. But I continued to push on, searching for something that would trigger my memories. Wandering through the halls, I climbed a set of stairs and continued my search. The second floor was much cleaner than the first, though still dusty in areas, still giving off the feel that no one had been here in a long while. My curiosity led me through the new area, checking in every room just as I had before. Unsurprisingly, they all looked identical to the ones I had seen on the first floor. Room by room I opened doors, not even caring to enter, my eyes glancing around quickly for a sign of something different, but they all remained the same.

By the time I had almost made a full lap around the floor, my hope of finding whatever Mephisto thought I would had dwindled. Amongst all the dusty beds and empty halls was nothing of my past. As much as I felt there was no purpose in continuing the search, I did, walking down the final hallway.

One by one, I opened the rooms just as I had before, glancing in. Halfway through the final hallway, I stopped. One door was different than the rest, my body drawn towards it without a thought in mind. Under closer examination, I found that the door handle was clean. Running my hand along the door, I found little dust, unlike all the others. This door was different. But it wasn't just clean. The door seemed… familiar, if anything. Something about it almost felt… right. Throwing caution to the wind, I swung the door open, stepping inside.

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaaannd we're back!**

 **There were far too many roadblocks when it came to editing this chapter (I might have re-written most of it whoops), but then I was on April break which distracted me from editing what I re-wrote, and then I fell sick for a short while.**

 **So, yeah, a lot got in my way of posting this chapter, but I'm really happy with the result!**

 **Due to re-writing most of this chapter I have to edit some of the others, but it shouldn't take very long.**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, feedback is always appreciated, and thank you for reading Comatose!**

 **~Blondie**


	15. Chapter 15

Present Day: Black Rock Shooter

Stepping through that doorway was like opening a portal to another world. Nothing felt right in there. With everything that had some kind of familiarity before, I felt as if my eyes had been opened to my past just a little more, but in here, my eyes wanted to close shut. My body almost hesitated as I pushed further into the room, examining everything I could. I definitely knew this place. I needed no memories to tell me that. Half of me wanted to believe that it was because I had gone through so many other dorms that I could easily navigate this one, but I knew that wasn't true. Everything that related to Okumura Rin, I knew it all for a reason, even if that reason was unknown to me. But I would find that reason. I was sure of it.

The first room held little to nothing for me, anything I might have encountered in the past being fuzzy, so I traveled further back. There were two doors. Two rooms. One was Rin's and the other mattered not. I stood with both doors on either side of me, waiting for some kind of sign as to which one was Rin's. I knew I could have just chosen a door, but I didn't want to stumble across it. I wanted to _know_ that it was his room. I wanted to remember. But nothing came. All sense of familiarity disappeared, and my mind went blank. I desperately wanted to entertain the idea that I knew which room was his, but I couldn't wait much longer. Without any thought, I turned to the door on the left and grabbed the handle, but I couldn't open the door. Something was wrong. The door didn't give off a feeling that all other things of Rin's had. They had been warm and soothing, but this was sour and dangerous. But something told me that this wasn't the incorrect door. Whatever was behind this door was the source of my unease. And I needed to know what it was.

I opened the door. But to my surprise, there was no danger. Glancing around the room revealed that it was the same as all the others I had looked in, this one only much messier. There were no answers for me here. I grit my teeth and turned. Mephisto's messing around was growing tiresome.

 _"Black Rock Shooter?"_ A voice rang out from behind me, causing me to whip back around and summon my sword. There was no one. _"It is you!"_ The voice spoke again. My movements became twitchy as I surveyed the room, still unable to find the voice's source. "Show yourself." I said, my gaze still wandering.

 _"Down here!"_ The voice called, but I refused to look. It was surely a trap to tear my gaze away from an attacker. A soft thud came from below my gaze, my eyes darting to the source. Atop the bed in what I assumed was Rin's room sat a small black cat. _"I can't believe you're really here! Rin will be so happy!"_

Rin.

"You know Okumura Rin?" I said, dematierialzing my sword. _"Oh yeah, we never did formerly meet, did we?!"_ The cat jumped up off the bed and onto the desk in front of the window. _"I am Kuro! Cat Sith and Rin's familiar!"_ Kuro beamed and puffed up his chest proudly. "Cat Sith…" I let the words roll off my tongue. "You're a demon?"

 _"Of course I am! Just like you!"_ That explained how we were communicating. "And Rin." I added, remembering his sharpened teeth and tail. Kuro nodded. _"He's missed you so much. He's actually out looking for you right now! He's told me so much about you, I could just tell it was you when you walked through the door!"_ "He… Rin, told you about me?" The familiar nodded. This was what I had been looking for. This is where I would get my answers, my memories. "Kuro… Can I ask you something-"

 _"I need to tell Rin!"_ The cat sith cut me off as he jumped down from the desk, heading for the door. "Kuro." I scooped the cat up in my arms as he tried to slip past my legs, but he climbed over my shoulder. _"Don't go anywhere! I'll bring him right back!"_

"Kuro!" I shouted, causing him to stop. "Don't."

 _"Why not?"_ He pouted. _"Rin told me to find him and tell him if I saw you!"_

"Yes, but Kuro I…" I hesitated at the thought of sharing the fact that my memories weren't all there. If this cat was the key to of all my answers, why couldn't I speak to him? " _I_ want to find him. To surprise him." I only lied slightly. I did want to find him, but I didn't want to him to see me until I remembered everything.

 _"But Rin said-"_

"Kuro. Please. If you do go… Tell him that I'm close. I'm not fully adjusted to this world yet, and-"

 _"I understand. I saw him head in the direction of the forest. Is it okay if I tell him I saw you heading there?"_ I nodded. With that, Kuro scampered off and out of the dorm.

I still hadn't remembered anything. I let my one source of knowledge slip from my fingers. Dejected, I went to leave and follow the cat sith, until something near the door had caught my eye. A few holes traced the walls around the door frame. I hadn't seen them walking in, but now that I had, they were all I could look at. I knew the shape all too well. These were bullet holes. As I got closer, my hand reached out, my fingers barely grazing against the edge of one of the holes. And as I made contact with it, it was as if a wave rushed over me, drowning me. But it wasn't water that surrounded me, it was my memories. The time spent with Rin in Shura's office, the trip to Mephy Land, his kiss, my kiss, staring down the barrel of Yukio's gun, running into the forest, the holy water grenades that had been released at me, the cell I had been detained in, I saw it all. And Rin was there the entire time. He was reaching out to me from outside that awful cell, but then, it all went black. And I was back in the dorm room. I racked my brain for more but that was it. Something was stopping me from remembering, and I think I had a pretty good idea what, or rather who, it was.

I ran down the stairwell and out the front door of the dormitory, marching towards Mephisto. "Ah, Miss Shooter, there you are! I was beginning to worry you had become lost-"

I had no time for his nonsense anymore and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "I want my memories back. _All_ of them." Despite my aggression, he seemed unfazed. "Now Miss Shooter I do believe I said that you would remember all in due time, and I still believe that is true." My right hand shifted to his throat and squeezed, while my other hand summoned my sword once more.

"I want my memories back. _Now._ "

* * *

Four Months Ago: Rin

Never before had I seen Black Rock Shooter look so powerless. Her head hung low and her arms were limp at her sides. She was hunched over as if she was sitting on her knees but everything lower than her torso was obscured by the burning blue flames throughout the room.

"Rock… Rock!" I called out, reaching my hand through the doorway. But she made no reaction. The flames continued to burn brightly around her, seeming to guard her from anyone outside, or at the very least, anyone who hadn't been cursed with the powers of a demon. I took a second to calm my breathing, trying to relax before I entered the inferno. "I'm coming, Rock." And I stepped in.

Just as I had assumed, the fire wasn't hot. These flames were just as much mine as they were hers. "Rock!" I called out once more. This time, Black Rock Shooter moved. Her eyes that had been closed shot open as she raised her head. She began to scan the room as I advanced toward her as quickly as I could. As our eyes locked her jaw hung loose, and I moved faster in her direction, reaching her in no time. "Rin?" She said as I collapsed to my knees and embraced her. "It's going to be okay…" I whispered into her ear, shushing her in an attempt to calm her down. "Rin I-… I-"

"It's okay, Rock… I'm here…" While one hand held the her head, the other traced circles up her back. "Rin-… Don't-!" She suddenly winced, arching her back away from my hand. Her head buried against my shoulder as she tried to relax, but she remained tense. My hands moved from her body and reached for her own, clutching her hands in mine. "What happened, are you okay?" I attempted to lift her hands up to my chest, but something stopped me. "Rin you need to leave." But I didn't listen her, as my eyes traveled down her arms. Her gloved hands tightened their grip on mine as I finally saw what was hiding behind the blue flames. Shackles held tight to her wrists, connected to the ground with thick, heavy chains.

My gaze shot back up to meet hers, but she looked away just before I could do so. Curiously, one of my hands reach around to touch her back again. "Rin, don't!"

"Rock… What happened?" She said nothing. I took a long hard look at her face, trying to read her expressions, but she refused to meet my gaze. It seemed I would have to find out for myself. I reached for the buckle on the front of her jacket, pausing as if to ask for permission. She made no movement, so I undid the buckle, and began to slide her jacket down from off her shoulders, exposing her arms and back. Then I stood. I stood and cautiously walked around to view her from behind and froze. All along her back were lines of scars trailing across her skin.

I could feel a knot grow in my stomach as I stared in horror. "R-Rock… What… What is this?" I could barely form words. For a while, she said nothing, leaving me shocked. And then she spoke. "I… I didn't listen, Rin. I didn't obey, Rin."

"Obey who?"

"The Order. They were going to hurt you, Rin… I fought back, and then one of them…" Her voice trailed off and her body quivered. She was silent for a few more second, before she took a deep breath in and started to sob. At the sound of her whimper, I rushed back around to the front to see tears streaming down her cheeks. "They…. They whipped me, Rin…"

"Wh-… What?"

"Then they shackled me to the floor… And told me that I'd be lucky if I ever saw light again." She sniffled and twitched, before curling over to put her forehead against the floor. I crouched down and lifted her head, resting it on my shoulder before pulling her in close, careful not to touch her back.

"Don't worry, Rock," I whispered in her ear. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"What?" She said, lifting her head to look at me. "Rin, you can't-"

"I can. And I will. I'm not going to let this happen, Rock. We're going to get out, and we're going to go far away. I won't let them find you. I promise."

* * *

Present Day: Rin

Approaching the edge of the forest just outside of True Cross Academy, Shura waved her arms to flag me down. I picked up my pace and approached her and Yukio, who had been waiting for me to arrive. "Any sign of her?" Shura asked. I shook my head no. "You?"

"Nothin. Yukio too." I grunted, frustrated that we were seemingly no closer to finding her than we were before. "Are you sure this is the only other place she would go, Rin?" Yukio said, finally joining the conversation. I nodded. "I can't think of anywhere else. She could be anywhere in there."

"Then we better get lookin." Shura said, marching off into the forest. Yukio followed close behind until he branched off to the right.

 _"Rin!"_ Before I could follow suit, the familiar voice of Kuro called out from the distance. Sure enough, he was running in my direction, meowing and calling my name. "Kuro! What's wrong? Is everything okay?!" Once Kuro got close enough, he hung his head and panted a few times, before looking up at me.

 _"I saw her, Rin!"_ I froze. Her. Kuro saw her? "Where? What happened?!" He turned his head to the forest and raised a paw to point into it. _"She was headed towards the forest! I think she's in there!"_ My heart pounded. To think that she could be so close was both exciting and nerve racking. What if Yukio or Shura found her first? Would they really help her? Or would they turn her in? My mind was racing with fear.

"Kuro. You have to help me." His ears perked up. _"I'll do anything I can!"_

"Good." I glanced into the forest, my heart rate only increasing. "Kuro, I need you to help me look for her. Make sure Shura and Yukio don't get to her first." He nodded and dashed off into the wooded area, disappearing into the bushes. To think that I was so close… I needed to find her.

I ran into the forest, my head whipping back and forth as to not miss anything. If I remembered correctly, there were only a few places that she been. Where we had our picnic, where she was taken away to locked up… and where she had tried to destroy everything.

* * *

 **Ta-da! Chapter 15, _finally_ done. I ended up having to rewrite it, but I really don't mind! I'm actually much happier with this version than the original, and hope it was worth the wait! I'm already working on rewriting the next chapter so I'll hopefully have it done in at least a week at most two weeks. **

**I'm really sorry for the long wait for this one!**

 **If there are any errors I apologize, but the second I finished this chapter, I gave it one reread and then posted it as I wanted to get it to you as soon as possible!**

 **Per usual, I hope enjoyed this chapter of Comatose, and feedback is always welcome and appreciated!  
**

 **Thank you so much for reading,**

 **~Blondie**


	16. Late Anniversary Announcement!

**Hello again everyone!**

 **I wanted to make a quick announcement with some updates. Don't worry! It's all very good news!**

 **It has been exactly a year and ten days since I posted chapter 1 of this story, and I'm so happy that so many have been reading it! I know I've taken a long time to write and publish chapters, so I'm very grateful that you would stick with me through this long journey.**

 **Aside from thank you's, I'm ready to say that Chapter 16 will be posted this weekend! I posted Chapter 15 at around midnight last time and it didn't receive many views because of that, so I'll try to post it earlier in the day! (If you haven't read Chapter 15 yet, please go back and do so!)**

 **The second piece of good news is that the rough draft of every chapter has been written, minus the epilogue. Chapter 17 should be out next weekend or the weekend after, depending on how busy my schedule is.**

 **I'm really excited to finally be posting these chapters, and I can't wait to see what you all think!**

 **Thank you to all of those who have stuck around for this year long journey, as well as all the new readers that I receive! It's because of all of you that I keep writing.**

 **Thank you for reading Comatose, and I'll see you all this weekend with Chapter 16!**

 **~Blondie**


	17. Chapter 16

Present Day: Black Rock Shooter

"Now now, Miss Shooter-!" Mephsito choked out as I tightened my grip on his neck. "There's… no need for violence!"

"That's not what I wanted to hear," I said, squeezing tighter. "Give me my memories. I know your games, Mephisto I saw them for myself. I won't be played any longer." As I squeezed he choked out excuse after excuse, before finally ceasing his words. Suddenly, in a puff of smoke he disappeared, and in his place at my feet was a small white dog, staring up at me. And then it spoke. "If you really want your memories back so badly then I suppose I have no choice."

"…Mephisto?" The dog nodded. "Now, follow me and I'll lead you to them," said the once demon now dog. He began walking off away from the dormitory. "This… this is the same direction Rin went. This is the direction of the forest, isn't it?" But he said nothing. All I could do was follow and hope that he was telling the truth. My sword still held tight in my hand, I walked after Mephisto. But my trust wavered. From what I had seen, Mephisto was toying with me, toying with us. My mind flashed to the training sessions I had had with Shura, Mephisto always there, a permanent smirk on face. Each time I lost further control of my flame his expression remained unchanged, as if it was just a game. But why? Why had he taken such interest my life? Why had he decided to observe mine and Rin's relationship? What was there to gain?

Questions continued to race through my mind as we continued our walk. It didn't take long for the mass of trees that led to the forest to come into view, confirming my suspicions. "I already remember the forest," I said, pointing my blade at the dog form that Mephisto had taken. "I wont fall for your tricks." But he said nothing, continuing towards the forest. "I'm not going in there. I remember what happened last time." He paused, turning his head to looking behind him. "Do you now, Miss Shooter?" He said, entering the line of trees into the woods. I froze. I was sure that I remembered my time in the forest, my escape attempt and my recapture, it was all clear in my mind. But something ticked in the back of my thoughts. Rin was in the forest, wandering around. Could he be what Mephisto was leading me to?

I tried my best to shake this curiosity off but it lingered no matter how hard I tried. At this point, Mephisto's small form had disappeared in the greenery. The air was still, not a sound resonating through the air. I had come so far.

"Fine," I muttered under my breath, "I'll play your games, Mephisto."

I ran into the woods in search of the small dog, keeping my hearing keen to prevent having an encounter with someone or something undesirable. He hadn't gone far as he hadn't been running, and his short legs could only carry him so far so fast. He didn't stop nor look back as I approached him. We walked through the forest for quite a while, journeying in deeper and deeper. The sun had crossed over its peak in the sky, and the light began to dim as the day began to end.

"Mephisto," I called out. "Surely we are close to our destination? The chance of the Order allowing me travel so far out is slim." Still he said nothing. And as I suspected, we were close. The further we went, more and more trees had either fallen and the grass below our feet had become more and more sparse.

"Mephisto… Just what happened here-" I froze, looking past what trees there were just a few feet in front of us. The landscape had changed drastically, any sign of life completely gone in at least a 20-foot radius. But my eyes fixated on a figure standing in the center of the damaged area. Lit up by the light of the setting sun stood Rin, looking frantically around from where he stood. As I went to move behind a tree to guard myself from his sight I found my feet unmoving, my eyes locked onto him. In a flash his appearance changed, his chest and face bloodied, eyes brimming with tears as blue flames consumed his entire form. A second figure stood behind him, completely cloaked in shadow. And then the figure was illuminated by a spark upon their face, flames of blue and purple dancing together, beginning to overtake Rin's bloodied form.

Just as it had back in the dormitory it felt as if I had been overtaken, my mind rushed by the final memories I had lost. I stumbled backwards before falling to the forest floor, shaking, the sunglasses Mephisto had given me falling from my face to my side.

"Who's there!" Rin's voice called out. I looked back in his direction from where I sat. All signs of blood, and injury had disappeared, though the flicker of a blue flame was still present, yet not from him. I could feel the flame that had once signified power and victory blaze from my left eye, all while Rin stared directly at me. His jaw hung open wide in what I could only assume was shock.

"Rock?!" He called out, slowing approaching as I remained frozen on the ground. His look of shock quickly turned to a smile, tears brimming in his eyes as he broke out into a run. "Rock!"

I ran. I scrambled to my feet and ran away as fast I could, his voice calling out from the distance. I thought remembering would prepare me for being reunited with Rin, but now that I had seen what I had done…

I should have never woken up.

* * *

Three Months Ago: Black Rock Shooter

Much time had passed since Rin came to visit my prison, though I couldn't exactly say how long. The time since his departure I spent calming myself. The blue flames that surrounded me had begun to ease, no longer consuming the entire room. Most importantly, I had calmed my emotions. The feelings of rage had become no more than a whisper in the back of my mind. I felt like myself again. The silent darkness remained for an extended period of time, but I was patient. If I was to survive I needed to be obedient.

But the more I waited in calm, the more whispers entered my head. While I sat chained to the ground, Rin was out there facing the Order on his own. Shura was taking the fall for my escape. Mato… There was no one fighting for Mato. The whispers of my failure and betrayal echoed louder and louder, but I continued to suppress them. Be it by Rin, Shura, or any other exorcists, I would be set free. I just had to wait.

When light eventually did flood the cell, my eyes shut while my head hung low, just as it had since Rin left. "Shooter," the familiar voice of Shura echoed within the cell. Hesitant footsteps grew louder as she grew nearer. Underneath the sound of her shoes against the ground, muttering voices spoke softly, the occasional gasp shining through the incomprehensible words of what I assumed were exorcists waiting outside. The heat of another body radiated at the top of my head as the footsteps stopped. But I remained still. "Shooter, I'm going to release the chain that holds ya to the floor. Don't move, alright?" I nodded, and obeyed Shura's instructions as the chains unhooked from the shackles around my wrists.

Taking my hands in her own, Shura stood me up from the floor and placed her other hand along my back, guiding me out of the cell. Never once did my eyes leave the floor. If I remained silent and obedient, my chances of seeing Rin again, even my chances of being able to see Mato again, would be significantly higher. So, I obeyed. I wanted to fight back so badly, snapping the chain that held the shackles together in two, and running off once again, but I kept calm while we walked through the halls of the True Cross headquarters. Our destination ended up being Shura's ever familiar office. I was led inside and sat in a chair before Shura and the exorcists who had been following exited the room, leaving me in silence. It was at this point where I finally lifted my gaze. Everything seemed the same, though possibly more chaotic. From the other side of the door I could hear the muffled voices of Shura and the other exorcists going back and forth, followed by the sound of footsteps and the opening of the office door.

"Shooter." Shura said hesitantly followed by a sigh. She walked past where I sat and around to behind her desk, sitting and holding her head in her hands. Another sigh escaped her lips. "Been a while, hasn't it, Shooter?" I nodded. "About a month give or take, yeah?" I nodded once again. With another sigh, the exorcist I had come to know sat up. "Look, Shooter. We have to talk."

"Ya know why ya were summoned to Assiah in the first place?"I thought about it, remembering the moments I spent struggling against the bonds on a chair, the anger I had begun to feel. My mind latched to the feeling, the first time emotions of my own had truly shown themselves. Whispers echoed from the back of my mind.

"To protect Mato, yes?" I said. I attempted to shake away the whispering, disregarding any emotions I may feel.

Shura nodded. "And then once Mato was confirmed to be safe, the Order kept ya around."

"To assure Mato's safety."

"In part, yeah." Shura stretched out before resting her head against her hands once again. "But it quickly turned into attempting to weaponize ya. Turn ya into something that could break down what exorcists could not. The goal was never to humanize ya, and yet, that's exactly what happened." She chuckled. "The Order was never looking to assimilate ya, and that's why you're still here. They still think that they can make use of ya."

"Just as when I had helped rescue Rin and his friends?" Shura nodded and chuckled once more. "Yeah. Though I'm sure at this point you'd much rather just go back home to Gehenna, wouldn't ya?" I thought about it, but I could come to no conclusion. To return to the Otherworld would be to return to Mato, but it would be to lose Rin. I gave no response to Shura. Silence hung in the air as my mind continued to process the thought of having to choose between Rin and Mato, both whom I love very much. If I remained in Assiah I could not protect Mato but I would be able to see her, though a physical relationship was not what I desired from her. Why couldn't I have both?

My eyes shot up and locked with Shura's. "Rin. Where is he? Is he okay?" Yet another sigh came from Shura. "He's fine, living his life just as he always has."

"Then when can I see him again?" She scratched the back of her head and stood from her chair, leaning over her desk. "Shooter," She said, "It may be best if ya forget about him for now. I'm sorry." She slumped back down in her chair after I made no movement, and reached under her desk, revealing a bag. "Jacket, gloves. Figured ya might want these back." After recieving the bag, I slipped into my jacket and buckled the clasp, slipping on the gloves afterwards. Shura rose from her chair, and headed to the door. "Come on now. Part of the deal of your freedom is that we finish up your training. Ya still have a lot to learn about how we exorcists deal with demons here in Assiah and Gehenna." I followed her out the door, my mind stuck on her words.

Assiah and Gehenna… Rin and Mato… Why not have both?

* * *

Present Day: Rin

Those bright blue eyes accompanied by a burning blue flame. It had been months since I had seen them. Yet, there they were in plain view, staring me down from across the charred clearing. But with the second I called out to their owner, they disappeared, turning from me as the silhouette of Black Rock Shooter started to vanish within the trees.

I had come to the clearing where Black Rock Shooter succumbed to her emotions, losing control of herself, the clearing where many had almost lost their lives. It had remained unchanged from the last time I had seen it, just before the otherself I had come to love slipped away into the nothingness of sleep. I thought I had truly lost her. After searching everywhere I could remember my efforts resulted in nothing. But then a quiet voice was heard, causing me to enter a state of alarm until my eyes locked onto a figure standing just outside of the clearing. Then there was a spark, and I knew it was her.

"Rock!" I called out again, now breaking into a run after her. I didn't know why she ran nor how long she had been there, but I didn't care. After over three months she had finally woken up, and I wasn't going to let her slip through my fingers again. Not once did she glance behind her even when I called out in desperation. My gaze switched from her to my surroundings, fearful of encountering Shura or Yukio, fearful of what they might do if they find her. At one point when I glanced back to where she had been running from checking, she had turned drastically to her right in what I assumed was an attempt to throw me off her course. But I saw it as an opportunity, running ahead of her trajectory to cut her off, and sure enough, it worked. By the time she had realized I caught on it was too late. The second she was in arms' reach I grabbed her by the shoulder and whipped around, using my other hand to grab her wrist. Immediately she began to struggle.

"Rock- Black Rock Shooter, there's no need to run! You're safe, I promise you're safe!" Despite her constant struggling I kept my grip on her firm.

"Please, calm down!" I said, glancing around to check for either exorcist also on the hunt. To my surprise, she did just that. Her struggling ceased and her arms went limp.

"Let me go." She whispered. "I'm sorry, but if I do someone else might find you and they'll probably hurt you."

"Please. Let me go, Rin." My grip tightened as I stared her down. "You… You remember me?" The second she nodded I released my grip from her arms, and pulled her into a hug. "R-Rock… I… Mato said that you didn't remember I… I thought I lost you…"

"I wish that I hadn't." I froze at her words, pulling away from the hug and shifting my grip back to her wrists. "Wh… What?" Her eye that had been burning had flickered out, replaced with tears that ran down her cheeks.

"I wish that I hadn't remembered you, Okumura Rin."

* * *

 **To say that this chapter is long overdue is an understatement. I apologize for the long wait after I promised it would be posted well over a month ago. My mental health took a huge hit and I was drowning in essays for college, and to be honest, I still am. I ended up doing a major rewrite of the events leading up to the ending, and in turn I'm much happier with the story.**

 **While I can't promise an exact date or time frame for chapter 17, I can promise that it is in the works.**

 **I apologize for any spelling or grammatical errors, as I was eager to get this chapter done and had much more to write for school directly after.**

 **Feedback is always appreciated, and thank you for reading chapter 16 of Comatose.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next update!**

 **~Blondie**


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